Shoot us a Text.What does real leadership look like when it’s time to let go?In this reflective conversation, Paul sits down with Alex Vetter as he prepares to hand the baton after decades of leadership at Cars.com and Cars Commerce. The episode opens with a simple moment—Alex helping carry a couch onto a stage—that quietly captures his leadership philosophy: no job is beneath you when you’re building something that matters. From the early days of dial-up internet and widespread distrust of online commerce, Alex recounts the controversial decisions that defined his tenure, including publishing invoice pricing and choosing transparency long before it was popular.As the conversation unfolds, Alex zooms out on the industry he helped shape. He challenges the idea that dealers resist change, explains why the car-buying funnel gets more complicated—not simpler—near the finish line, and shares why the “vending machine” vision of auto retail misses the human reality of the last mile. Most importantly, he reflects on succession: what it takes to trust the next leader, why he’s confident in the future under Toby’s leadership, and why this moment feels less like an ending and more like acceleration.Join Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier every morning for the Automotive State of the Union podcast as they connect the dots across car dealerships, retail trends, emerging tech like AI, and cultural shifts—bringing clarity, speed, and people-first insight to automotive leaders navigating a rapidly changing industry.Get the Daily Push Back email at https://www.asotu.com/ JOIN the conversation on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asotu/