INTERVIEW

Nestled in a commercial park in Sunnyvale, California, sits the Mercedes-Benz research and development North America office. A spinning star sits in the front of the building. It is one of six locations across North America and joins research facilities in Asia and Europe.

During a recent media roundtable, Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius told journalists that the original purpose for the facility 30 years ago was because it recognized that Silicon Valley was a unique place where top academia meets with venture capital and where smart people from around the world gather. “So the very first intent with the first few baby steps of coming to Silicon Valley was like, it's almost like you send out a group of people to do reconnaissance, create contact, be part of the conversation, and figure out what's going on,” Källenius said.