Shutting Down Roger

Gina Telaroli November 30, 2007 | 6:56 pm EST

Roger B. Smith, former CEO of General Motors and silent star of the acclaimed documentary Roger and Me is dead. He died after a brief bout with an unspecified illness in Detroit.Smith was notorious for changing the automotive industry when it was just on the brink of becoming global and also for giving and then taking back lots of jobs from hard working Michigan residents. This isn’t an uncommon problem for companies these days as trying to stay alive in the global climate while still staying true to local roots is more complicated than one might think. Just ask the folks at the Lego Corporation.Economics and politics aside, it seems despite all his efforts Michael Moore won’t get to have a chat with Smith. Check out the trailer for his award winning documentary and then Netflix it (or whatever you do) to get the whole story.