John Absmeier

John Absmeier is the Vice President of Samsung’s Strategy and Innovation Center, Smart Machines initiative, where he is responsible for open innovation, investment and new business creation in the areas of drones, robots and automotive.

Absmeier is a self-proclaimed geek, gearhead and jarhead with 20 years’ experience in the automotive industry. He was named one of the top 40 under 40 by Automotive News in 2014, and has dedicated his career to the development and commercialization of technology for mobility. Most recently, he was recognized for his accomplishments at Delphi Automotive where he founded Delphi Labs @ Silicon Valley and led the team to develop Delphi’s autonomous vehicle platform, which was the first self-driving car to complete a coast-to-coast journey from San Francisco to New York City in 2015. John has lived and worked all over the world, including six years in China. He has founded and run global business operations and technology organizations for large companies as well as start-ups. Absmeier has a BSME from Purdue University, MSME from UC Berkeley, and executive MBAs from UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, University of Michigan Ross School of Business, and Thunderbird School of Global Management.