# HARMAN International

> HARMAN International is the Samsung-owned engineering group behind JBL, Harman Kardon, AKG and a widened roster of audio brands, as well as the cockpit electronics, software, displays, connectivity and sound systems installed in more than 50 million vehicles. It sells branded devices to consumers, integrated systems to automakers and professional audio, video, control and lighting equipment to venues and enterprises. Its advantage is an unusual bridge between products people recognize at retail and safety-tested technology that carmakers can ship and update over a vehicle's life.

- **Founded:** 1980
- **Headquarters:** Stamford, Connecticut, United States
- **Founders:** Sidney Harman (Co-founder of predecessor Harman Kardon), Bernard Kardon (Co-founder of predecessor Harman Kardon)
- **Team size:** Approximately 26,000 to 30,000 employees worldwide; HARMAN publications used both figures during 2026.
- **Products:** Lifestyle Audio, Professional Solutions, HARMAN Ready portfolio, Ready Upgrade, Ready Care
- **Notable:** More than 50 million vehicles globally use HARMAN audio and connected-car systems., HARMAN reported a record $45 billion backlog in awarded automotive business in March 2025., Revenue grew from roughly $7 billion at Samsung's 2017 acquisition to more than $11 billion by late 2025.

## Products & services

- **Lifestyle Audio** — Headphones, portable speakers, soundbars, home audio, hi-fi components and car audio sold through brands including JBL, Harman Kardon, AKG, Bowers & Wilkins, Denon and Marantz.
- **Professional Solutions** — Audio, video, control and lighting systems for live events, recording, cinemas, stadiums, hospitality, education, government and corporate spaces.
- **HARMAN Ready portfolio** — Production-ready automotive products spanning cockpit compute, infotainment, displays, connectivity, driver monitoring, cloud updates, app distribution and personalized in-cabin audio.
- **Ready Upgrade** — Upgradeable cockpit domain controllers and pre-validated software designed to shorten automotive launch cycles and support over-the-air feature updates.
- **Ready Care** — Machine-learning and sensor-based monitoring that detects driver and occupant state and triggers personalized in-cabin interventions.
- **Ready Aware** — A hardware-agnostic vehicle-to-network SaaS product that delivers contextual alerts for road, traffic and weather hazards.
- **Ready Connect** — Modular telematics control units supporting 4G, 5G and satellite communication for safety, streaming and vehicle services.
- **Ready Vision QVUE** — A windshield-level panoramic display system using Samsung Neo QLED technology and optional augmented-reality and directional-audio features.
- **Ready CQuence** — Software-defined vehicle build, test, validation and runtime tools, including a Type-1 automotive hypervisor used on more than 20 million ECUs.

## Achievements

- More than 50 million vehicles globally use HARMAN audio and connected-car systems.
- HARMAN reported a record $45 billion backlog in awarded automotive business in March 2025.
- Revenue grew from roughly $7 billion at Samsung's 2017 acquisition to more than $11 billion by late 2025.
- HARMAN brands and the Huemen design team had earned 807 design awards for 528 products since 2013 by March 2026.
- HARMAN won 30 iF Design Awards in 2026, including a Gold award for the JBL BandBox app experience.
- The company and its brands have received three Technical Grammy Awards across its history.
- JBL transducers powered Woodstock in 1969, an early proof point for the company's professional-audio lineage.
- HARMAN's over-the-air update technology has been deployed across more than 80 million vehicles.

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — Marantz, now part of HARMAN's Sound United unit, introduced the MODEL 70 integrated amplifier and CD 70 CD player.
- **2026-03** — HARMAN won 30 iF Design Awards, including a Gold award for the JBL BandBox app experience.
- **2026-02** — HARMAN and Viasat demonstrated in-cabin voice calls over satellite communications using Ready Connect.
- **2026-01** — HARMAN expanded its production-ready automotive portfolio with new audio orchestration, SDV tools, safety features and Neo QLED display options.
- **2025-12** — HARMAN agreed to acquire ZF's ADAS business for €1.5 billion; closing is expected in the second half of 2026, subject to approvals.
- **2025-12** — The company completed the sale of its Digital Transformation Solutions business to Wipro.
- **2025-09** — HARMAN completed the $350 million acquisition of Sound United, adding Bowers & Wilkins, Denon, Marantz, Polk Audio and other brands.
- **2025-04** — Christian Sobottka became president and CEO, succeeding Michael Mauser.

## Links

- Website: https://www.harman.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/harman-international
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/Harman
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/HarmanIntl
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harman_intl
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HarmanInt

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/harman-international
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-13