Meet Abe, managing director, Las Vegas:
What inspired your career choice?
Growing up, I always tinkered with electronics. I took apart and fixed my first gaming console when I was about nine years old. I built my first PC a couple years later and was hooked on technology since. I explored a career in medicine but after volunteering at a local hospital for six months, I decided that was not the path for me.
I majored in computer engineering and worked on some really interesting projects early in my career (driver state monitoring, automated boat leveling and confidential military vehicle systems). In addition to being a tech nerd and early adopter, entrepreneurship is in my DNA. My dad and his dad both started and ran their own businesses, and I used to help around the office. So the natural progression of my career was to run a technology business and I have been following that path since graduating high school.
What is your favorite part about working at Aptiv?
Definitely the people. Someone once said we are the average of the people with whom we spend our time. At Aptiv, I am constantly around intelligent and motivated team players, regardless of which business, function, or layer in the organization I interface with. I look forward to working with my team every day to solve challenging problems and making the future of mobility a reality. Another huge motivator for me, as a parent, is the fact that we work on solutions that make the world safer and greener for future generations.
What is the one piece of career advice you would give to an aspiring professional?
To borrow a line from Breaking Bad, “no half measures.” In other words, commit to your objectives fully and do not settle for mediocrity. Whether at school, an internship or a full time job, putting in the commitment and dedication will always make you stand out and shine. Do not limit yourself to your job description and take the initiative to step outside your scope to help achieve the team objectives.
Where do you see mobility in 20 years?
In 20 years, when my son is 25, I hope that there will be fewer cars on the road (perhaps even by half). He should be able to get around easily, and potentially won't own a car or have to learn to drive.
What do you do at Aptiv?
I recently started my new job running our technical center in Las Vegas. Our team is tasked with expanding our fleet of self-driving cars on the roads of Nevada, validating our software and hardware systems, as well as growing our partnerships around autonomous driving technology. This site is definitely start-up minded, and we are all very energized and excited to be on the front lines of changing how the world moves.
Join our team: www.aptiv.com/careers
