Jeff Bezos to step down as Amazon CEO, Andy Jassy to take over in Q3

Amazonian friends:

I am delighted to announce that this third quarter, I will step up as Executive Chairman of the Amazon Board of Directors and Andy Jassy will become CEO. In the role of Executive Chairman, I intend to focus my energies and attention on new products and early initiatives. Andy is well known within the company and has worked at Amazon for almost as long as I have. He will be an exceptional leader and he has my full confidence.

This journey began 27 years ago. Amazon was just an idea and had no name. The question that was asked to me most often at the time was: “What is the Internet?” Fortunately, I haven’t had to explain this for a long time.

Today, we employ 1.3 million talented and 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 it happen? Invention. Invention is the basis of our success. We did some crazy things together and then made them normal. We pioneered customer reviews, 1-click personalized recommendations, Prime’s amazingly fast delivery, Just Walk Out purchases, Climate Pledge, Kindle, Alexa, Marketplace, Infrastructure cloud computing. , Career Choice and more. If you do it right, a few years after a surprising invention, novelty has become normal. People are yawning. And that yawn is the greatest compliment an inventor can receive.

I don’t know of any other company with as good an invention experience as Amazon, and I think we’re the most inventive right now. I hope you are as proud of our inventiveness as I am. I think you should be.

As Amazon got bigger, we decided to use our scale and reach to lead on important social issues. Two high-impact examples: our minimum wage of $ 15 and the Climate Pledge. In both cases, we staked out leadership positions and then asked others to accompany us. Either way, it works. Other big companies are coming to us. I hope you are also proud of it.

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

Even though I’m still slamming in the office, I’m excited about this transition. Millions of clients depend on us for our services, and over a million employees depend on us for their livelihood. Being the CEO of Amazon is a deep responsibility, and it’s consuming. When you have a responsibility like this, it’s hard to call attention to anything else. As Executive Chairman, I will remain engaged in important Amazon initiatives, but I will 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 it’s not about retiring. I am very passionate about the impact I think these organizations can have.

Amazon could not be better positioned for the future. We are shooting at all cylinders, like the world needs us. We have things going on that will continue to surprise. We serve individuals and businesses, and we’ve pioneered two entire industries and a whole new class of devices. We are leaders in fields as diverse as machine learning and logistics, and while the idea of ​​an Amazonian still requires new institutional skill, we are flexible and patient enough to learn it.

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

Jeff