GM Buyouts, A Town Named Snailbrook, Army Ads and Bellbottoms

The Automotive Troublemaker w/ Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier

10-03-2023 • 15 mins

It’s a beautiful Friday, folks and the ASOTUverse is ready for it! Today we’re talking about GM’s buyback moves as they try to cut costs the empathetic way. We also cover a new town just outside of Tesla’s Gigafactory in Austin Tx, as well as a reboot of an old Army recruiting slogan.

  • Yesterday, General Motors announced it is working to avoid involuntary layoffs…by paying people to leave. The company will be offering buyouts to all salaried employees that have been with the company 5 years or more. They have until March 24th to accept the offer and will leave the company by June 30th.
    • Non-executives will receive one month of pay for every year w/ the company up to 12 months, plus benefits
    • Execs will get base salary, incentives, health, and placement services
    • The move is expected to cost the company $1.5B and is part of the GMs plan to cut $2B annually from its cost structure
    • In a memo sent to employees, CEO Mary Barra highlighted the bright side of things as she wrote the the voluntary separation program, "...presents an opportunity to explore a new industry, make a career change, further a personal business venture or decide you can retire earlier."

  • A reported plan is spinning as Elon Musk may be building a town on a 3500 acre plot just outside of Austin to offer affordable housing and services named “Snailbrook” after the mascot for The Boring Company. There is even a sign up that features a snail design and reads “Snailbrook, EST 2021”
    • The main purpose of the town is to provide affordable housing to Tesla and SpaceX employees. The 2 and 3 bedroom houses will cost about $800/month and will have access to the town’s pool, outdoor athletic fields, and fitness center. There may also be a school built on the property
    • The site will also be home to some of the companies warehouses

Just like bell bottoms come back around every couple of decades, the Army is reviving its “be all you can be” slogan and revealing new visual designs in a new brand campaign featuring pointed, cinematic storytelling and Creed III star Jonathan Majors

    • The slogan was created in 1981 and ran through 2001 but then disappeared from the Army’s marketing
    • As Majors walked through various scenes of historical challenges the Army has fought through, he asked the question, “When you look into your future, do you see obstacles, or possibilities?”


Hosts: Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier

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