An electrostatic discharge, ESD, protected serializer/deserializer, SERDES, differential driver circuit, comprising: an input/output, I/O, driver circuit including a first transistor driver and a second transistor driver, each having a drain coupled to a differential output pad; a pre-driver circuit including a first pre-driver inverter coupled to a gate of the first transistor driver, and a second pre-driver inverter coupled to a gate of the second transistor driver, in which the pre-driver circuit is selectively coupled between a power supply terminal and a ground terminal; a switch transistor (P2, P3) coupled between the power supply terminal, the first transistor driver, and the second transistor driver of the I/O driver circuit; a common mode transistor coupled between the ground terminal, the first transistor driver and the second transistor driver of the I/O driver circuit; and an ESD detector circuit configured to selectively disengage the power supply terminal from the first transistor driver and the second transistor driver of the I/O driver circuit by turning the switch transistor (P2, P3) off, and configured to selectively disengage the ground terminal from the first transistor driver and the second transistor driver of the I/O driver circuit by turning the common mode transistor off, the ESD detector circuit comprising: an n-type field effect transistor, NFET, switch, having a drain coupled to a gate of the common mode transistor, a source coupled to the ground terminal, and a gate coupled to a switch control signal (Tsw) from the ESD detector circuit; and a transmission gate operable according to the switch control signal (Tsw) to feed a bias voltage (Vbias) to the common mode transistor during normal operation and to feed a complementary switch control signal (/Tsw) to the common mode transistor during an electrostatic discharge event an input/output, I/O, driver circuit including a first transistor driver and a second transistor driver, each having a drain coupled to a differential output pad; a pre-driver circuit including a first pre-driver inverter coupled to a gate of the first transistor driver, and a second pre-driver inverter coupled to a gate of the second transistor driver, in which the pre-driver circuit is selectively coupled between a power supply terminal and a ground terminal; a switch transistor (P2, P3) coupled between the power supply terminal, the first transistor driver, and the second transistor driver of the I/O driver circuit; a common mode transistor coupled between the ground terminal, the first transistor driver and the second transistor driver of the I/O driver circuit; and an ESD detector circuit configured to selectively disengage the power supply terminal from the first transistor driver and the second transistor driver of the I/O driver circuit by turning the switch transistor (P2, P3) off, and configured to selectively disengage the ground terminal from the first transistor driver and the second transistor driver of the I/O driver circuit by turning the common mode transistor off, the ESD detector circuit comprising: an n-type field effect transistor, NFET, switch, having a drain coupled to a gate of the common mode transistor, a source coupled to the ground terminal, and a gate coupled to a switch control signal (Tsw) from the ESD detector circuit; and a transmission gate operable according to the switch control signal (Tsw) to feed a bias voltage (Vbias) to the common mode transistor during normal operation and to feed a complementary switch control signal (/Tsw) to the common mode transistor during an electrostatic discharge event an n-type field effect transistor, NFET, switch, having a drain coupled to a gate of the common mode transistor, a source coupled to the ground terminal, and a gate coupled to a switch control signal (Tsw) from the ESD detector circuit; and a transmission gate operable according to the switch control signal (Tsw) to feed a bias voltage (Vbias) to the common mode transistor during normal operation and to feed a complementary switch control signal (/Tsw) to the common mode transistor during an electrostatic discharge event