By Laryssa Hulcio and Stephen Harber, GM talent marketing
Philip Asante was charting a course through the aerospace industry when GM’s bold vision for hands-free driving caught his eye. Super Cruise wasn’t just a feature: it was a sign that the future of mobility was accelerating fast, and he wanted in.
Now a driving force behind groundbreaking vehicles like the Cadillac LYRIQ, Philip opens up about the road ahead for next-gen transportation, in the Q&A below
Philip, how did your road to General Motors begin?
I started in aerospace engineering, which offered exciting opportunities, especially around simulation and automation. But after five years, I began to notice a pattern: we were working with tech that felt stuck in the past, sometimes decades behind the curve.
Around that time, in 2018, I came across what GM was doing with Super Cruise. It was cutting-edge, ambitious, and grounded in real-world impact. I knew I wanted to be part of that momentum.
What appealed to you about the auto industry?
In the automotive sector, engineers get to see their work launch sooner and go public maybe a year after inception. Compare that to aviation, where projects become publicly available five or ten years down the line.
Also, driving a vehicle is accessible to many people. That means the projects I work on will become accessible to me and my family. And, conceptually, they’re easier to explain than something that's happening in an aircraft.
What else excites you about working in automotive tech?
Basically, how competitive the industry is.
Unlike aviation, where there are only a few major players, automotive has a wide range of strong brands. That kind of competition pushes everyone to stay sharp and keep improving to differentiate our products from the competitors, you have to innovate, and that gives us the license to do so. That's been a big draw for me.
What’s your biggest achievement in your seven years at GM so far?
Seeing Super Cruise in action on the Cadillac LYRIQ, and knowing I played a part in that journey, was incredibly rewarding.
From the DevOps (Developer Operations) side, we helped unify software that had previously been separated across teams, bringing it all together into a single product while supporting the deployment of Super Cruise.
This effort not only helped get the LYRIQ into customers’ hands faster, it reduced development time by about two-and-a-half to three years. It also ensured a launch that was fully loaded with cutting-edge technology.
What are your goals for the next few years here?
Just recently, I joined the virtualization org, and it's been exciting. I support our operations team, and one of the big things we’re looking at is how to shift more of our software testing into virtual environments. Right now, we do a lot of in-vehicle testing and hardware-based testing, which is obviously important for safety, but it also gets expensive fast.
We’re trying to move that testing earlier in the development cycle. Basically, giving our developers the tools to test their code in a simulated environment that feels close to a real car.
What does that mean for your team?
It means we can be more creative, more innovative, and still keep safety front and center. Plus, you’re not putting people in actual vehicles during the early stages, so there’s more room to experiment.
Once the software hits a certain level of maturity…that’s when we move from the cloud to physical vehicle testing. But by virtualizing more of the process, we can run more tests, in parallel, and get a lot more mileage for development software, literally.
I think in five years, a major part of our testing could be fully virtual, which is a game changer.
How’s your work-life balance?
I try to switch off when I can. At least once a week, I make a point to shut down completely and just focus on family. That’s become even more important recently because my wife and I just welcomed our first child. Setting that boundary between work and home life has become a bigger priority.
What are the biggest challenges you face in your position?
I’d say managing a large team of engineers. I have 17 direct reports, so communication is key. I need to make sure everyone has what they need to succeed, including access to people and resources beyond our group. It’s also important to set a clear vision and make sure the team maintains a healthy work-life balance.
I often use a sports analogy: you don’t want your star players burning out before the playoffs. We try to be strategic about how we manage workloads so the team stays energized and performs at their best. Balancing all of that is definitely a challenge, but it’s one I really enjoy.
What GM employee behavior resonates with you and why?
“Innovate now”. That stands out to me, especially given how competitive the industry is.
For example, when it comes to Super Cruise, the technology consistently outperforms the offerings from other companies. The recent Motor Trend “Best Technology” award is proof of this incredible momentum.
That comes down to the innovative work our teams have done – like using driver-facing cameras to allow hands-free driving safely and introducing features like hands-free trailering. Moments like that push us to think differently and stay ahead. This mindset has been a big part of my growth at GM.
How does GM stay ahead in automotive technology?
Our talent. We work really hard to bring the best people on board to achieve large objectives. We don't only bring all the people strictly from the automotive domain. Coming from an aerospace background, I like to think that I’m a living example of this.
How will GM drive the future of mobility?
The future is about giving people back their time. With features like Super Cruise, we're already helping reduce the effort it takes to get from point A to B, but looking ahead, I see even more autonomy helping people do things like read, catch up on emails, or even take a much-needed nap during their commute.
My hope is that, eventually, vehicles will be able to take over enough of the driving that we can show up more fully in our lives – whether it’s picking up a child from school or just having more energy at the end of the day. That’s the kind of future I’d love to help build.
Thanks, Philip.
