Voting Station

Roger Smith

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Automaker

The Resume

    (July 12, 1925-November 29, 2007)
    Born in Columbus, Ohio
    Middle name is Bonham
    Chairman/CEO of General Motors (1981-90)
    General Motors vice president (1971-81)
    Subject of Michael Moore 'Roger & Me' (1989)

Why he might be annoying:

    His tenure is overwhelmingly viewed as a failure by historians.
    He wasted billions trying to revive a sagging industry which was getting clobbered by Japanese automakers.
    He drove GM into debt trying to reinvent the wheel (robotized factories, GM-10 cars, creating the Saturn division).
    CNBC dubbed him one of the 'Worst American CEOs of All Time.'
    He left the company dangerously close to bankruptcy going into the 1990s recession (they eventually did file in 2009).
    Fortune named him one of the 10 Worst Auto Chiefs in 2013.
    His action of closing several auto plants in Flint, Michigan had many displaced GM workers calling for his removal.
    His depiction as a buffoon in 'Roger & Me' was publicly condemned by GM, but execs privately found it to be hilariously close to the truth (his ouster came only a year after its release).

Why he might not be annoying:

    He served in the US Navy.
    He was married to his wife for 53 years.
    When he took over, General Motors was already dealing with an image problem.
    He introduced GM's first front-wheel-drive midsize cars.
    He entered the GM Sunraycer in the first World Solar Challenge race (it won handily).
    He was ambitious in his attempts to diversify GM but lacked the know-how to see it through.
    The documentary revolved around his refusal to talk to Michael Moore, even though he had already granted an interview to the filmmaker (Moore claims it was off-the-record and before filming commenced).

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 21 Votes: 47.62% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 11 Votes: 72.73% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 11 Votes: 54.55% Annoying