Founded in 1953 by Sidney Harman, HARMAN International Industries began as an American audio electronics company that grew through strategic acquisitions including JBL (1969), AKG, Harman Kardon, Infinity, Lexicon, Mark Levinson, and Revel, building a portfolio of 15+ audio brands. Sidney Harman sold the company to Beatrice Foods in the 1970s when he joined the Carter administration as Deputy Secretary of Commerce, then reacquired businesses after leaving government in 1978 to recreate Harman International. In 2008, Dinesh Paliwal succeeded Harman as chairman. Samsung Electronics announced acquisition of HARMAN for $8 billion on November 14, 2016 (completed March 10, 2017), marking Korea's largest foreign acquisition. Under the merger, stockholders received $112 per share, with HARMAN becoming an independent Samsung subsidiary retaining its workforce, headquarters, facilities, and all audio brands. Paliwal remained CEO under Samsung's oversight. The acquisition proved highly successful, with HARMAN posting record 1.3 trillion won ($902 million) operating profit in 2024, transforming from industry skepticism to Samsung's golden goose leading automotive electronics. Today, HARMAN operates independently within Samsung, maintaining its legendary audio brands while expanding into automotive and connected technologies.

Founded in 1953 by Sidney Harman, HARMAN International Industries began as an American audio electronics company that grew through strategic acquisitions including JBL (1969), AKG, Harman Kardon, Infinity, Lexicon, Mark Levinson, and Revel, building a portfolio of 15+ audio brands. Sidney Harman sold the company to Beatrice Foods in the 1970s when he joined the Carter administration as Deputy Secretary of Commerce, then reacquired businesses after leaving government in 1978 to recreate Harman International. In 2008, Dinesh Paliwal succeeded Harman as chairman. Samsung Electronics announced acquisition of HARMAN for $8 billion on November 14, 2016 (completed March 10, 2017), marking Korea's largest foreign acquisition. Under the merger, stockholders received $112 per share, with HARMAN becoming an independent Samsung subsidiary retaining its workforce, headquarters, facilities, and all audio brands. Paliwal remained CEO under Samsung's oversight. The acquisition proved highly successful, with HARMAN posting record 1.3 trillion won ($902 million) operating profit in 2024, transforming from industry skepticism to Samsung's golden goose leading automotive electronics. Today, HARMAN operates independently within Samsung, maintaining its legendary audio brands while expanding into automotive and connected technologies.