General Motors has hired Apple executive Mike Abbott to lead its software division as the carmaker pushes up its ambitions to sell “software-defined vehicles” with in-car subscriptions, apps, over-the-air upgrades, and digital services.
Abbott, Apple’s former cloud services vice president of engineering, will report to GM Chair and CEO Mary Barra. Executive vice president of software is the new title.
GM’s strategy to bring software development in-house and deliver revenue-generating digital services and features for consumers and businesses will depend on Abbott. For example, as automakers aim to sell “software-defined vehicles” with voice, navigation, and third-party apps, the software has become increasingly crucial.
As software manages battery management and displays EV charging locations, automakers’ transition to EVs has hastened such efforts.
Abbott will head that software ecosystem’s team. Scott Miller’s software-defined vehicle and operating system, Stacy Lynett’s information and digital technologies, and Edward Kummer’s digital business team will report to him.
Barra added, “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.”
Ultifi is an end-to-end software platform that runs on GM’s vehicle intelligence platform, which boosts data processing capability. Ultifi, which is coming out to select GM models this year, combines all of the vehicle’s components into a single platform, making it easier and faster to distribute over-the-air software updates and giving owners access to subscription services and other in-car innovations.
Ultifi works with Android Automotive, the various GM infotainment systems operating system. Android Automotive OS differs from Android Auto, a supplementary interface on the operating system.
Abbott oversaw the team that developed basic infrastructure for Apple’s cloud-based services, including iCloud iMessage, private relay, mail, and account security. Apple’s education and enterprise categories were also built by his team.
Abbott was a general partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, who invested in mobile and cloud computing and helped startups use social media, establish teams, and raise funds. In addition, Abbott headed application and service development teams at Twitter, Palm, and Microsoft.
