As a member of the senior leadership team, Mr Abbott will lead a new integrated end-to-end software organisation focused on the development of vehicle and enterprise software technologies and solutions, and delivery of digital services and features to retail and commercial customers.
The newly created team will bring together three now distinct software functions within the company, including teams led by Scott Miller, vice president, software defined vehicle and operating system; Stacy Lynett, vice president, information and digital technology; and Edward Kummer, chief digital officer, digital business.
GM said that Mr Abbott brings extensive technology industry experience in cloud computing, storage, networking, security and more at scale.
As vice president of Apple’s Cloud Services division, he led a team responsible for the development of core infrastructure for all of Apple’s cloud-based services including iCloud iMessage, Private Relay, Mail and account security.
In addition to storage, networking and compute, his team created products for Apple’s Education and Enterprise categories.
Technology: Mike Abbott joins as GM the car-maker accelerates its tech-driven transformation.
GM CEO Mary Barra said: “We have entered the next phase of our technology driven transformation focused on rapidly scaling new EV models and our Ultifi software platform, which will drive faster innovation and enable new and exciting customer experiences.
“Mike’s experience as a founder and entrepreneur coupled with his proven track record creating and delivering some of the market’s most compelling software-defined solutions for consumers and companies make him an excellent fit at GM.”
Mr Abbot said: “I’m a product person at heart, so as the transformation of transportation quickly accelerates, I know that software is the catalyst for redefining experiences for consumers and enterprises like never before.
“GM is playing a pivotal role in this shift and I’m excited to join the team and bring my experience in software to bear to not only take advantage of the massive opportunities that lay ahead for the company but to help change the world.”
Mr Abbott also served as a visiting scholar at Stanford’s Artificial Intelligence Lab (SAIL) focused on research in computer vision and other products that have benefits globally.
Previously, he served as general partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB), focused on investments in sectors including mobile and cloud computing, as well as working with entrepreneurs to better leverage social media tools, build teams and increase their funding.
Mr Abbott has also led teams responsible for developing innovative, secure, and high-performance applications and services at Twitter, Palm and Microsoft.
By Neil Dowling
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