The Cult of the ‘Cost-Killer’ CEO Should End: Lionel Laurent

The downfall of Stellantis NV boss Carlos Tavares was one of the defining corporate events of 2024. His aggressive turnaround style, drastic cost cutting and price hikes created huge internal pushback and made his position untenable after profits slumped. While his exit highlights the auto sector’s huge issues in the face of technological upheaval and Chinese competition, as flaggedby my colleague Chris Bryant, it also offers wider warnings for the hype around “cost-killer” chief executives going into 2025.

Tavares was hardly reinventing the wheel: He was expected to replicate his past successes at Peugeot and at Renault SA and Nissan Motor Co.’s alliance under another legendary “cost-killer” (and international fugitive) ...