By Laryssa Hulcio & Stephen Harber, talent marketing
By Laryssa Hulcio & Stephen Harber, talent marketing
Meet Brian Gibbons: HR Director for Software and Serviced Engineering at General Motors, Gibbons has a strong tech background, after career stops at Apple, Cisco, and Microsoft. A talent champion and cultural steward, he’s helping to build out GM’s strong tech team in the Valley and elsewhere.
We sat down with Gibbons to talk about his career journey to General Motors and why he’s passionate about our work culture.
You have had an impressive career. How did you get started in tech?
I joined Microsoft in 2006, traveling around the world as part of the mergers and acquisitions integration team. After four years, I followed a couple of my mentors to Cisco where I spent a year and a half working in HR with their telepresence groups. I learned a valuable lesson while working at Cisco; I have to work for a company where I’m passionate about the product. Routers and switches are essential, but they’re not my passion.
And then you worked at Apple.
It’s actually a funny story. I had an offer from Apple and Cisco on the same day in November 2009, and I took the Cisco offer. But after 18 months - and my realization that routers and switches were not my dream - I called my contact at Apple and started working there two weeks later.
At Apple I had a strong perch to see where hardware and software were going and the impact technology would have on various industries, including automotive. I knew I wanted to be part of it.
After working with the Apple mobile device teams for a few years, I was tapped to be part of the “special project group” and help staff new product areas. We had to figure out if the Apple culture would mesh well with the culture of the industries we were targeting for talent. Overall, it was a great experience – I spent 10 years there.
Gibbons (right) with Kurt Kelty (center) and Steve DuMont (right)
Why did you want to work for GM?
I wanted to be part of automotive history. Right now, this century-old industry faces the technical challenge of a lifetime: shifting to EVs and autonomy. I have a real sense of pride in helping this company innovate.
Let’s talk about the people that we’re hiring.
We’re bringing in different talents from different backgrounds, with different ways of thinking. Curiosity at a tech company is crucial. If you lack curiosity, you're not going to make it.
Partnering with and learning from Kurt Kelty, who steers our battery business, really pulled me into GM.
How do you view GM’s leadership team?
I watched a lot of videos of Mary Barra during my interview process to understand what our leader is like. She’s the real deal. Since I’ve arrived, all of the leaders I’ve been able to interact with are down to earth. We all roll up our sleeves and get the job done.
What’s your message to engineers who might want to join GM?
I’ve learned that if I tell an engineer no, they say game on. I like working with smart engineers who figure out a way over the wall, under the wall, or around the wall. Persistence can be contagious, and I want people of all levels to feel empowered to challenge the status quo and bring innovation to the table.
When you get here, you'll work with people who have been here 30 to 40 years as well as people like me, a new hire. So, you're getting a real mix of perspectives. And you get to be part of the debates between those groups. You respect the legacy, but you get to bring the innovation.
Gibbons loves his all-electric Cadillac LYRIQ in emerald lake metallic.
I heard you drive a Cadillac LYRIQ - what do you like about it?
I love the acceleration... actually, I love everything. I pick up my friends in it all the time. I want them to see the car, get in and enjoy the smooth ride in my Caddy. I constantly have people at the car wash or street lights ask me about the car. It stands out in a beautiful way.
I recently had some former Apple colleagues over to my house. The first thing I did was take them in my garage and show them my Lyriq. I made them stand in front of it just to show them the beauty of the lights as the car comes to life. They're like: “whoa, wait a second, what?” I love that response.
How is GM’s culture embracing our strong legacy while accelerating our vision of an all-electric future?
It goes back to curiosity. Everybody has the capability or capacity to be curious. Are you going to try to hold on to the past? Or are you going to get on with the future? I see employees leaning into the future here at GM.
But when you sit in our product, you’re experiencing the future. You're sitting in the innovation that's happening in the company, from design all the way through the software and experience with the incredible advancements in the interior of the car.
I think we should hold on to the values that have made us strong while we innovate towards a better future.
To explore career opportunities at GM, visit careers.gm.com.
Check out these stories hear from leaders across the company about what it’s like to work at GM:
A few minutes with Jeff Bush, GM executive director of digital vehicle experience
A few minutes with GM software engineering exec Fraser Graham
Meet Brian Gibbons: HR Director for Software and Services Engineering at General Motors. Gibbons has a strong tech background, after career stops at Apple, Cisco, and Microsoft. A talent champion and cultural steward, he’s helping to build out GM’s strong tech team in the Valley and elsewhere.
We sat down with Gibbons to talk about his career journey to General Motors and why he’s passionate about our work culture.
You have had an impressive career. How did you get started in tech?
I joined Microsoft in 2006, traveling around the world as part of the mergers and acquisitions integration team. After four years, I followed a couple of my mentors to Cisco where I spent a year and a half working in HR with their telepresence groups. I learned a valuable lesson while working at Cisco; I have to work for a company where I’m passionate about the product. Routers and switches are essential, but they’re not my passion.
And then you worked at Apple.
It’s actually a funny story. I had an offer from Apple and Cisco on the same day in November 2009, and I took the Cisco offer. But after 18 months - and my realization that routers and switches were not my dream - I called my contact at Apple and started working there two weeks later.
At Apple I had a strong perch to see where hardware and software were going and the impact technology would have on various industries, including automotive. I knew I wanted to be part of it.
After working with the Apple mobile device teams for a few years, I was tapped to be part of the “special project group” and help staff new product areas. We had to figure out if the Apple culture would mesh well with the culture of the industries we were targeting for talent. Overall, it was a great experience – I spent 10 years there.
Why did you want to work for GM?
I wanted to be part of automotive history. Right now, this century-old industry faces the technical challenge of a lifetime: shifting to EVs and autonomy. I have a real sense of pride in helping this company innovate.
Let’s talk about the people that we’re hiring.
We’re bringing in different talents from different backgrounds, with different ways of thinking. Curiosity at a tech company is crucial. If you lack curiosity, you're not going to make it.
Partnering with and learning from Kurt Kelty, who steers our battery business, really pulled me into GM.
How do you view GM’s leadership team?
I watched a lot of videos of Mary Barra during my interview process to understand what our leader is like. She’s the real deal. Since I’ve arrived, all of the leaders I’ve been able to interact with are down to earth. We all roll up our sleeves and get the job done.
What’s your message to engineers who might want to join GM?
I’ve learned that if I tell an engineer no, they say game on. I like working with smart engineers who figure out a way over the wall, under the wall, or around the wall. Persistence can be contagious, and I want people of all levels to feel empowered to challenge the status quo and bring innovation to the table.
When you get here, you'll work with people who have been here 30 to 40 years as well as people like me, a new hire. So, you're getting a real mix of perspectives. And you get to be part of the debates between those groups. You respect the legacy, but you get to bring the innovation.
I heard you drive a Cadillac LYRIQ - what do you like about it?
I love the acceleration... actually, I love everything. I pick up my friends in it all the time. I want them to see the car, get in and enjoy the smooth ride in my Caddy. I constantly have people at the car wash or street lights ask me about the car. It stands out in a beautiful way.
I recently had some former Apple colleagues over to my house. The first thing I did was take them in my garage and show them my Lyriq. I made them stand in front of it just to show them the beauty of the lights as the car comes to life. They're like: “whoa, wait a second, what?” I love that response.
How is GM’s culture embracing our strong legacy while accelerating our vision of an all-electric future?
It goes back to curiosity. Everybody has the capability or capacity to be curious. Are you going to try to hold on to the past? Or are you going to get on with the future? I see employees leaning into the future here at GM.
But when you sit in our product, you’re experiencing the future. You're sitting in the innovation that's happening in the company, from design all the way through the software and experience with the incredible advancements in the interior of the car.
I think we should hold on to the values that have made us strong while we innovate towards a better future.
To explore career opportunities at GM, visit careers.gm.com.
Check out these stories hear from leaders across the company about what it’s like to work at GM: