Jeff Bezos Steps Down As Amazon CEO – Who Is Andy Jassy?
Andy Jassy will be Amazon's new CEO, proving the company will likely be focusing more on tech services. | Source: YouTube/Bloomberg
- Jeff Bezos just announced that he is stepping down as the CEO of Amazon.
- His replacement will be the head of Amazon Web Services, Andy Jassy.
- Who is Jassy, and is he the right person for the job?
Jeff Bezos has had enough. The longtime CEO of Amazon will be relinquishing that role to Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon Web Services.
As Bezos moves into the executive chair, it begs the question of who, exactly, is Andy Jassy?
Jeff Bezos Finally Steps Down
People have been speculating that Jeff Bezos would step down as Amazon CEO for years—and many detractors have wished for it.
On Tuesday, February 2nd, those wishes came true.
In an email to Amazon employees , Bezos announced that he would be transitioning out of his current role of CEO into an executive chair position.
He had a controversial tenure as the CEO of one of the biggest companies in the world. Despite all of the criticism slung his way, Bezos continued to innovate and create huge profits for the company.
At the end of his company email, he told employees to “remember to wander. Let curiosity be your compass.”
And many curious people out there are wondering about his replacement, Andy Jassy.
Who Is Andy Jassy?
Andy Jassy is the CEO of Amazon Web Services, which he helped found in 2003. According to Bezos, he’s been with the company nearly as long as anybody.
Here’s Bezos’ endorsement of Jassy in his email:
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.
Aaron Levie, CEO of Box, had nothing but nice things to say about Jassy:
According to Newsweek, Andy Jassy joined Amazon in 1997 and has been one of Jeff Bezos’ chief advisors ever since .
Much like Bezos, Jassy has always had an eye on the future. He was one of the first people to push Amazon to include music sales and retail services. Amazon Web Services has expanded exponentially since Jassy founded it, and many think this move will see Amazon becoming even more competitive in the tech and software business .
According to his Twitter bio, Jassy is married with two children, and he’s an “experienced buffalo wings eater.” That’s surely an important skill as the new Amazon CEO.
He earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Harvard University.
Jassy is also part owner of the Seattle Kraken, an NHL team.
