Jamie Hresko, head of General Motors Powertrain since June 2010, is stepping away in pursuit of other opportunities. While that's often code for "I was forced out, but we're keeping it quiet," the Detroit Free Press reports that a source close to the situation asserts that Hresko is leaving of his own accord. Hresko has been at GM for 28 years, spending time in roles ranging from managing the Orion Township assembly plant to overseeing global quality.
The suspicion that there's more going on beneath the surface stems from GM CEO Dan Akerson's recent personnel moves that shuffled Tom Stephens to the side and placed Mary Barra in the product operations role. There's also widespread belief that Akerson is pushing for unreasonable demands and, not being a "car guy," critics fear he doesn't have the ear for the car business. So far, nothing but the face value of the story has been confirmed, but tongues are wagging that there might be more to Hresko's departure than anyone's confirming.