Herbert Diess

Austrian businessman

2 min read

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Interest in “Herbert Diess” spiked on Wikipedia on 2026-02-27.

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2026-01-29Peak: 522026-02-27

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Key Takeaways

Herbert Diess (born 24 October 1958) is an Austrian businessman, the former (2018-2022) chairman of the board of management of Volkswagen Group, he also held the position of chairman of the board of management for the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand.
He worked a variety of jobs there, and was widely seen as responsible for the BMW i3 and BMW i8.
Volkswagen In 2019, Herbert Diess told VW employees at a work event "EBIT macht frei", a play on the words “Arbeit macht frei” (Work makes you free) which was the slogan over the entrance to Auschwitz and other concentration camps.
In July 2022, following discontent from labor representatives, Volkswagen announced that Diess had resigned as CEO and would leave the company by the end of August.
The Mobility House In January 2024, Diess joined The Mobility House, an electromobility company, as the Executive Chairman of the Board.

Herbert Diess (born 24 October 1958) is an Austrian businessman, the former (2018-2022) chairman of the board of management of Volkswagen Group, he also held the position of chairman of the board of management for the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand.

Career

BMW

In 1996, Diess joined BMW. He worked a variety of jobs there, and was widely seen as responsible for the BMW i3 and BMW i8. He left BMW to take on a role at Volkswagen in 2015.

Volkswagen

In 2019, Herbert Diess told VW employees at a work event "EBIT macht frei", a play on the words “Arbeit macht frei” (Work makes you free) which was the slogan over the entrance to Auschwitz and other concentration camps. During the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Herbert Diess called for Brussels (the EU) to push for a peace deal with Russia so that trade could resume and the EU's commercial interests would be protected.

In July 2022, following discontent from labor representatives, Volkswagen announced that Diess had resigned as CEO and would leave the company by the end of August. He was replaced by Oliver Blume.