Approximately 27 years after its founding, technology and e-commerce giant Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos announced his resignation in the third quarter of 2021 to serve as the executive chair of the Amazon board. Andy Jassy, now CEO of Amazon Web Services (AWS), will replace him.
Being the CEO of Amazon is a deep responsibility, and it’s consuming, Bezos wrote in a letter to employees announcing his role change. When you have a responsibility like that, it’s hard to put attention on anything else.
Jeff Bezos continues to work on important Amazon initiatives, with the difference being that he is working as an executive chair on Amazon’s board of directors rather than as the CEO of Amazon. In an email to Amazon employees, Jeff Bezos said he would use the extra time he had resigned to focus on other initiatives and passion projects such as the Day 1 Fund, Bezos Earth Fund, Blue Origin and The Washington Post.
Andy Jassy has been with the company since 1997 after graduating from Harvard Business School with an MBA degree. He is currently the CEO of Amazon Web Services, founded in 2006. He will be CEO of Amazon in the third quarter of 2021.