In what may ultimately represent a seismic shift in the industry,
Dirac's Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder, Dr. Mathias Johansson,
has announced his departure from the company he founded some 23 years ago.
Johansson shared the news in a LinkedIN post published less than an hour ago.
With an official end date of September 16, 2024, his next venture is to lead
HARMAN International’s Signal Processing & Applied Intelligence Lab.
"A new exciting chapter begins for me today," states Johansson.
"Having devoted more than 23 years to the company I co-founded in 2001,
I have decided to make my next move and spread my wings outside of Dirac.
I am excited to share that on September 16, I will begin leading Harman International’s
Signal Processing & Applied Intelligence Lab."
According to HARMAN International's CTO, Armin Prommersberger, "Mathias' extensive
experience and visionary leadership in digital signal processing and human-machine
interaction are ideally suited to our future technology direction, representing the
essence of the tech culture we are building: an entrepreneurial mindset combined
with extraordinary technical skills and a strong focus on collaboration."
Prommersberger says he's admired Johansson since their first meeting almost 20 years ago.
Johansson's departure from Dirac isn't acrimonious. In fact, he indicates that Dirac
remains an innovative force within the market and that he'll assume an advisory role
for the foreseeable future. "Founding a company is like having a baby.
It's a 24/7 commitment that’s always on your mind, day and night," says Johannson.
"I am proud of everything Dirac has achieved over the last 23 years, and I remain
as optimistic and confident about Dirac’s future today as ever before. All the arrows
are now pointing in the right direction for the company. To me, this means it is
time to let this baby fly without me. Children grow up, and at some point, they need
to tackle the world on their own, even if it’s painful to let go. To this end, I will
remain an advisor to Dirac’s CEO for some time."
Johansson holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy and Signal Processing from Uppsala University
and an advanced degree from the Stockholm School of Economics and Executive Education.
During his time at Dirac, he's served as CEO (2009-2021), Chief Product Officer (2021-2023),
and Chief Technology Officer (2023-2024).
