Dive Brief:
- Former Apple executive Baris Cetinok, who currently serves as General Motors’ SVP of software and services, is departing the automaker effective Dec. 12, a company spokesperson confirmed in an email to WardsAuto.
- Cetinok was appointed to the role in June 2024 and his departure comes amid a broader restructuring at GM to align the company’s vehicle software engineering and global product under one organization led by Sterling Anderson, who was appointed in late October.
- “With hardware and software engineering unified under Global Product, we're integrating product management with engineering to accelerate the delivery of exceptional in-vehicle experiences,” a GM spokesperson said in a statement.
Dive Insight:
Cetinok joined GM in September 2023 as VP of product, software and services. He previously spent nine years at Apple as senior director, product management and marketing for the company’s Apple Pay, Apple Wallet, Apple Card and iCloud services, according to LinkedIn.
In June 2024, GM promoted Cetinok along with Dave Richardson to lead its software and services organization. The executives were tasked with overseeing teams responsible for the automaker’s software design roadmap, including development, launch and continual improvement, according to the company.
During their time at the automaker, both Cetinok and Richardson had played significant roles in building the automaker’s vehicle operating systems, GM said in a press release announcing their promotion.
"Baris has built a strong software product management team at GM. We're grateful for his contributions and wish him continued success,” a GM said in a statement.
Richardson also stepped down on Oct. 31 after the automaker appointed Anderson as the new head of its software and services unit in late October.
Anderson is co-founder of autonomous trucking developer Aurora Innovation and currently splits his time between GM’s Global Technical Center in Warren, Michigan, and its Mountain View Technical Center in California, where he leads a team of more than 20,000 employees working on the automaker’s next-generation technology.
The ongoing reshuffling of the automaker’s software and services unit will further support the company’s plans to roll out new technology, including a new software-based vehicle architecture for GM’s future vehicles. In October, GM announced plans to integrate conversational AI in its vehicles and adopt a new centralized computing platform starting in 2028.
The platform will bundle all of a vehicle’s core systems, including powertrain, steering, infotainment and safety using a single, high-speed processor. It will be adopted for both GM’s internal combustion engine vehicles and fully electric models.
