GM’s Barra Tests Anderson for CEO Job With Car-Tech Mission

Sterling Anderson, the executive leading General Motors Co.’s technology push, is emerging as a candidate to eventually succeed Chief Executive Officer Mary Barra when the 63-year-old retires from the storied automaker.

Anderson joined the company as chief product officer in June after working for Tesla Inc. and co-founding the autonomous trucking company Aurora Innovation Inc. The understanding when he was hired, according to people familiar with the matter, was that if Anderson can satisfy Barra’s demand for him to bring cutting-edge software and self-driving technology to GM cars, he has a good shot at succeeding her.