Jeff Bezos Steps Down as Amazon CEO

Amazon leadership will soon undergo some changes at the top of the mountain; CEO Jeff Bezos will be CEO no more. Earlier today, founder Jeff Bezos announced he would step down from the role of Chief Executive Officer after twenty-seven years in the role. Moving forward, he will only serve as Executive Chairman instead of overseeing the company’s day-to-day operations.

After Jeff Bezos Steps Down from the CEO Role, Who Will Lead Amazon?

Beginning in Q3 this year, Andy Jassy will transition into CEO for the eCommerce giant. Jassy previously served as chief of Amazon’s cloud computing division. Under his leadership, Amazon rolled out its highly successful Amazon Web Services, which provides hosting and server infrastructure for nearly one-third of all cloud storage on the Internet. Since launching in 2006, Amazon Web Services (or “AWS,” for short) has grown to be the company’s most profitable operation, reporting $10 billion in net quarterly sales after Q1 earnings surfaced last year.

Bezos’ Transition Out of the CEO Role Isn’t Unexpected

Over the past several years, Bezos had already stepped back from most of the company’s day-to-day operations. However, 2020 changed everything as the word transitioned heavily into eCommerce due to the Coronavirus pandemic. As a result, Bezos found himself pulled back into operations in a more involved capacity than he had planned.

In a statement, Bezos weighed in on the state of the company and his decision to step down:

“Right now I see Amazon at its most inventive ever, making it an optimal time for this transition.”

When new CEO Andy Jassy takes the reins, he won’t just oversee everyday operations of the world’s largest eCommerce company. He will also continue ushering in Bezos’ dream of turning Amazon into a leading shipping carrier to compete with USPS, FedEx, and UPS, eventually delivering 100% of its own packages and offering same-day delivery for all Prime members.