Jeff Bezos is stepping down as CEO of Amazon to focus on other projects

When you hear or read the word “Amazon,” the name Jeff Bezos is not usually far behind, but that could be changing soon as the founder has stepped down as CEO.

Announced this week, Bezos will be replaced by Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon Web Services. Jeff Bezos will transition to the executive chair of the Amazon board in Q3 2021. Bezos has been the CEO of the company since he founded it way back in 1994.

So, what now for Bezos? According to the letter to employees, Bezos “will stay engaged in important Amazon initiatives,” but will be spending more time focusing on other projects, including the Day 1 Fund, the Bezos Earth Fund, Blue Origin, The Washington Post, and “other passions.”

As The Verge points out, it’s interesting that Jassy was chosen for the position and not someone from a retail or hardware position, but it shows where Amazon’s priorities are. AWS is huge and something many end-users interact with every day, whether they realize it or not. Jassy has been with Amazon since 1997.

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