Exclusive: Walmart's Chief Technology Officer Leaves Company While E-Commerce Wars Are Racing

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Walmart Inc.'s chief technology officer, Jeremy King, is leaving the company, according to an internal memo, even as the retailer strives to transform its e-commerce business and reduce the gap with his rival Amazon.com Inc.

King, who joined the company in 2011, led the redesign of Walmart's e-commerce technology platform in the US, making it faster, more competitive and more user-friendly, two key elements in the retailer's fight against its e-commerce rivals.

Under King, Walmart has integrated its huge stores and online systems and started offering customers services such as in-store online order pickup, easy returns and online shopping pickup, among other benefits.

King also led the company's technology arm, Walmart Labs, in more than 10 acquisitions and played a key role in moving the company's operations to the cloud, giving the retailer more resources to compete with Amazon. He also oversaw the opening of four new technical offices.

Over the past two years, King has overseen the technology transformation of approximately 4,700 Walmart US stores.

Fiona Tan, senior vice president of customer technology at Walmart Labs, will take on more and more responsibility following King's replacement. He was asked to become a liaison for the technology team, Walmart USA and the US e-commerce management team, according to the memo, which Reuters learned about.

King's departure comes at a time when Walmart is making huge investments in its e-commerce business to be more competitive. In February, the company expected its e-commerce losses to increase this year as a result of ongoing investments. It focuses on increasing the number of customer visits and strengthening its online product badortment.

The success of the retailer's online business has been erratic over the years, but sales growth in recent quarters has shown signs of regularity.

During the last quarter, online sales increased by 43%, which is the increase of the previous quarter. The company attributes this to a wider product mix on its website and improved delivery, as well as in-store pickup of online grocery orders.

"The operational decisions made during King's day were the key to the success of our technology team and led to more agile work methods," said the note sent Wednesday to Walmart staff by the US general manager. , Greg Foran, and the chief of American e-commerce. Marc Lore.

"During Jeremy's tenure, we have built significant relationships with Microsoft, Google, NVIDIA and others that will continue our digital transformation in the future," says the memo.

What King intended to do once he left the retailer was not immediately clear. His last day with the company will be on March 29, according to the memo.