Jeff Bezos Is Stepping Down From Amazon CEO Role

According to reports, Jeff Bezos is set to step down from his role as CEO of Amazon.

In an email to Amazon employees, the founder of the online marketplace for books turned mega-company revealed that he will be stepping down from his position come the third quarter of 2021. Stepping down, Bezos will become Amazon’s new Executive Chairman to turn over day-to-day operations to Andy Jassy, the current CEO of Amazon Web Services.

Taking a step back, Jeff Bezos will continue to be involved in Amazon projects but will put his focus into the Bezos Earth Fund, Blue Origin spaceship company, The Washington Post and Amazon Day 1 Fund.

Catch Jeff Bezos’ announcement to Amazon employees below.

Fellow Amazonians:

I’m excited to announce that this Q3 I’ll transition to Executive Chair of the Amazon Board and Andy Jassy will become CEO. In the Exec Chair role, I intend to focus my energies and attention on new products and early initiatives. Andy is well known inside the company and has been at Amazon almost as long as I have. He will be an outstanding leader, and he has my full confidence.

This journey began some 27 years ago. Amazon was only an idea, and it had no name. The question I was asked most frequently at that time was, “What’s the internet?” Blessedly, I haven’t had to explain that in a long while.

Today, we employ 1.3 million talented, dedicated people, serve hundreds of millions of customers and businesses, and are widely recognized as one of the most successful companies in the world.

How did that happen? Invention. Invention is the root of our success. We’ve done crazy things together, and then made them normal. We pioneered customer reviews, 1-Click, personalized recommendations, Prime’s insanely-fast shipping, Just Walk Out shopping, the Climate Pledge, Kindle, Alexa, marketplace, infrastructure cloud computing, Career Choice, and much more. If you get it right, a few years after a surprising invention, the new thing has become normal. People yawn. And that yawn is the greatest compliment an inventor can receive.

I don’t know of another company with an invention track record as good as Amazon’s, and I believe we are at our most inventive right now. I hope you are as proud of our inventiveness as I am. I think you should be.

As Amazon became large, we decided to use our scale and scope to lead on important social issues. Two high-impact examples: our $15 minimum wage and the Climate Pledge. In both cases, we staked out leadership positions and then asked others to come along with us. In both cases, it’s working. Other large companies are coming our way. I hope you’re proud of that as well.

I find my work meaningful and fun. I get to work with the smartest, most talented, most ingenious teammates. When times have been good, you’ve been humble. When times have been tough, you’ve been strong and supportive, and we’ve made each other laugh. It is a joy to work on this team.

As much as I still tap dance into the office, I’m excited about this transition. Millions of customers depend on us for our services, and more than a million employees depend on us for their livelihoods. Being the CEO of Amazon is a deep responsibility, and it’s consuming. When you have a responsibility like that, it’s hard to put attention on anything else. As Exec Chair I will stay engaged in important Amazon initiatives but also have the time and energy I need to focus on the Day 1 Fund, the Bezos Earth Fund, Blue Origin, The Washington Post, and my other passions. I’ve never had more energy, and this isn’t about retiring. I’m super passionate about the impact I think these organizations can have.

Amazon couldn’t be better positioned for the future. We are firing on all cylinders, just as the world needs us to. We have things in the pipeline that will continue to astonish. We serve individuals and enterprises, and we’ve pioneered two complete industries and a whole new class of devices. We are leaders in areas as varied as machine learning and logistics, and if an Amazonian’s idea requires yet another new institutional skill, we’re flexible enough and patient enough to learn it.

Keep inventing, and don’t despair when at first the idea looks crazy. Remember to wander. Let curiosity be your compass. It remains Day 1.

Jeff

Breaking: Jeff Bezos to step down as Amazon CEO in the third quarter.

He will become Executive Chair.

AWS CEO Andy Jassy will become Amazon’s next chief executive.

— Jon Erlichman (@JonErlichman) February 2, 2021

Amazon’s revenue:

2020: $386 billion
2019: $281 billion
2018: $233 billion
2017: $178 billion
2016: $136 billion
2015: $107 billion
2014: $89 billion
2013: $75 billion
2012: $61 billion
2011: $48 billion
2010: $34 billion
2009: $25 billion
2008: $19 billion
2007: $15 billion

— Jon Erlichman (@JonErlichman) February 2, 2021

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