DETROIT — The Detroit 3 have been working to fend off challenges from tech companies that want to disrupt the auto industry, and General Motors CFO Dhivya Suryadevara's sudden departure shows that automakers have to compete with Silicon Valley for executives as well as for customers.
But Suryadevara's move to Stripe, an online payment processor that has become one of the world's most valuable startups, also validates the auto industry's growing bench of coveted talent.
"What you're seeing is talent being developed and then being sought after. That's kind of a good problem to have. Maybe now after her doing well there, it will be easier to recruit," said Mike Ramsey, an analyst at Gartner. "It's a recognition that there is talent [in Detroit] instead of it being the other way around."