diff --git a/api/BUILD b/api/BUILD
index fa4da45a66..2eca1de986 100644
--- a/api/BUILD
+++ b/api/BUILD
@@ -1,15 +1,10 @@
 # Copyright The OpenTelemetry Authors
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
 
-load("@bazel_skylib//rules:common_settings.bzl", "bool_flag", "string_flag")
+load("@bazel_skylib//rules:common_settings.bzl", "string_flag")
 
 package(default_visibility = ["//visibility:public"])
 
-bool_flag(
-    name = "with_abseil",
-    build_setting_default = False,
-)
-
 CPP_STDLIBS = [
     "none",
     "best",
@@ -28,10 +23,7 @@ string_flag(
 cc_library(
     name = "api",
     hdrs = glob(["include/**/*.h"]),
-    defines = select({
-        ":with_external_abseil": ["HAVE_ABSEIL"],
-        "//conditions:default": [],
-    }) + select({
+    defines = ["HAVE_ABSEIL"] + select({
         ":set_cxx_stdlib_none": [],
         ### automatic selection
         ":set_cxx_stdlib_best": ["OPENTELEMETRY_STL_VERSION=(__cplusplus/100)"],
@@ -46,19 +38,11 @@ cc_library(
     }),
     strip_include_prefix = "include",
     tags = ["api"],
-    deps = select({
-        ":with_external_abseil": [
-            "@com_google_absl//absl/base",
-            "@com_google_absl//absl/strings",
-            "@com_google_absl//absl/types:variant",
-        ],
-        "//conditions:default": [],
-    }),
-)
-
-config_setting(
-    name = "with_external_abseil",
-    flag_values = {":with_abseil": "true"},
+    deps = [
+        "@com_google_absl//absl/base",
+        "@com_google_absl//absl/strings",
+        "@com_google_absl//absl/types:variant",
+    ],
 )
 
 [config_setting(
diff --git a/bazel/repository.bzl b/bazel/repository.bzl
index 5e825d2b46..606283468d 100644
--- a/bazel/repository.bzl
+++ b/bazel/repository.bzl
@@ -55,19 +55,12 @@ def opentelemetry_cpp_deps():
 
     # Load abseil dependency(optional)
     maybe(
-        #
-        # Important note:
-        #
-        # The bazel build still uses abseil-cpp-20220623.1 here.
-        #
-        # Upgrading to abseil-cpp-20240116.1 breaks the OTLP build, reason unknown.
-        #
         http_archive,
         name = "com_google_absl",
-        sha256 = "91ac87d30cc6d79f9ab974c51874a704de9c2647c40f6932597329a282217ba8",
-        strip_prefix = "abseil-cpp-20220623.1",
+        sha256 = "3c743204df78366ad2eaf236d6631d83f6bc928d1705dd0000b872e53b73dc6a",
+        strip_prefix = "abseil-cpp-20240116.1",
         urls = [
-            "https://github.com/abseil/abseil-cpp/archive/refs/tags/20220623.1.tar.gz",
+            "https://github.com/abseil/abseil-cpp/archive/refs/tags/20240116.1.tar.gz",
         ],
     )