GM to Employees: Don't Use Scary Words

Word choice matters at General Motors. Documents released by the U.S. government show GM had a list of words that it warned engineers against using when pointing out risks in its products. Included in the confidential banned list from 2008 were "safety," "defect," "widow-maker," and "Hindenburg." The government issued a $35 million fine against GM on Friday for failing to respond promptly to a deadly flaw in the ignition switch and berated them for the company culture of discouraging discussion of potential dangers. "Today's GM encourages employees to discuss safety issues," a spokesperson for the company said about the company's changes.