GM's Fritz Henderson Deserves Nobel Prize, Columnist Says
By Michelle Krebs October 13, 2009
General Motors CEO Fritz Henderson deserves the Nobel Prize more than President Barack Obama because he has the toughest job in the world, Wall Street Journal's Evan Newmark wrote in his Mean Street column.
Henderson "has to save GM, once America's proudest company and now its national disgrace," and he doesn't have four years to prove himself nor does he have Congress or Fox News to blame if things go wrong, Newmark writes.
Henderson has accomplished a lot in his inaugural months, most notably getting through bankruptcy. "None of that was easy. But now comes the difficult Nobel-worthy stuff - putting an executive team in place, overhauling GM's culture and making cars that Americans actually want to buy," Newmark points out.
"While it's always lonely at the top, nobody should be as lonely as Henderson probably is," he writes.
Further, he adds, "President Obama can surround himself with the best and brightest minds in America. Ford's CEO can hire whomever he wants.
"But Henderson? Six months at it - and he's still waiting on hiring guidelines from the TARP pay czar. His head sales honcho, Mark LaNeve jumped ship this week. And there are ongoing rumors that CFO Ray Young may be the next to go.
".... show me another CEO that has to put up with so much outside tinkering and public pressure?" And he's still flying commercial.
So why not give a Nobel Prize to Henderson, Newmark suggests.
Photo by GM
GM CEO Fritz Henderson
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Click here to comment on this entry.Good idea. He's been more successful at getting his goals accomplished than President Obama has. If it wasn't for the government restrictions, he'd have accomplished even more.
If it wasn't for the government restrictions, GM would be out of business and he'd be looking for work.
This is why it's absolutely scandalous for the "federal" government to own a private enterprise. GM's board was stupid to have ever gone to the national government for money. (A national and central government is what we have now; not federal). Neither Congress, nor the President should have given GM or Chrysler any money or "loans", as the idea was originally sold. It never comes without strings attached, and now it has given Washington politicians a never ending foot in the door of not just GM, Chrysler, and financial institutions, but has set the precedent for even more fascism.
Well Henderson has gotten at least equal at GM than Obama has as president. I think David Patreus deserves a nobel peace prize or Bill Clinton. I know people either love or hate Bill Clinton.
I mean I like a few bills that Obama has done but I do not like the way the health care debate is going or even the remote possiblity of cap and trade and his wild spending sprees.
Obama was awarded Nobel Prize for saving GM and Chrysler. I do not see how in the world Mr Henderson could save GM without Obama - he does not have access to taxpyers money
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