These are the most influential automotive industry leaders of 2023

DETROIT — Being the head honcho in the automotive industry is a tough gig. Some leaders bear the weight of the job better than others, and every year a handful stand apart from the herd for the consequential impact they have on the business. This year was one of the most eventful in recent memory in the car world. From the UAW's Stand Up Strike to the industry's continuing transition to electric vehicles, there were few dull moments. In compiling this list, I looked at key decisions that will reverberate for years, affecting consumers and, in some broader cases, society.

Here’s my list of industry leaders who had the greatest impact in 2023.

No. 1: Shawn Fain

The United Auto Workers’ fire-breathing leader wrenched major concessions from Detroit’s Big Three, calling for an unprecedented national strike that reset labor relations in America for years. Fain is an improbable leader. He eked out a razor-thin win to secure the UAW’s presidency in March, and stood toe-to-toe with seasoned executives like General Motors’ Mary Barra and Ford’s Jim Farley during bargaining. After a six-week strike, Fain emerged with an unquestioned victory for his union.

Although he won significant concessions from the Big Three, Fain did an even better job of controlling the message and enlisting powerful allies, including President Biden, in his fight for better wages and benefits. He deftly exerted maximum pressure on Detroit’s execs, but in the end accepted a deal that increased wages 25% over the life of the contract — short of his original demands of 40%. While the union made brash statements about leaving the carmakers “wounded for months,” the contract ended up as a livable compromise, despite the rhetoric from all sides. Case in point: GM claimed a $9.3 billion hit from the strike, while simultaneously issuing a $10 billion stock buyback plan to boost dividends.

Broadly speaking, Fain did more than secure a tactical win over management. That’s been done before. Rather, he ignited the passions of a labor movement not seen in this country in decades. He tapped into the mood of Americans to organize for better wages, something for which casino workers, nurses, actors and writers all walked for their jobs this year. It’s not a coincidence that Honda, Toyota and Hyundai gave their factory workers raises immediately after UAW workers ratified their contracts, and Fain has already made rumblings about organizing Tesla and Volkswagen, too. I wouldn’t bet against him.

No. 2: Elon Musk

The Tesla CEO is a tornado of disruption in the auto industry. We haven’t seen the likes of him in decades. There’s not many apt comparisons. Perhaps if Lee Iacocca or Henry Ford II acted on every nutty impulse they had, or if John Z. DeLorean actually had adequate working capital, we might have seen something close to Musk's omnipresence. But that’s just cars. The Tesla CEO also owns X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, and runs SpaceX, which puts rockets into space. Frankly it’s startling that one man has this much power over society.

He also makes wildly offensive statements, has alienated both U.S. political parties in some way and has managed to irk nearly everyone in the car biz at some point.