Jeff Bezos to step down as Amazon CEO

2 February 2021, 21:24 | Updated: 2 February 2021, 22:04

Jeff Bezos will step down as CEO of Amazon
Jeff Bezos will step down as CEO of Amazon. Picture: PA

By Maddie Goodfellow

Amazon says Jeff Bezos will step down as CEO, leaving the helm of the company he founded more than a quarter of a century ago.

Amazon said he will be replaced in the autumn by Andy Jassy, who runs Amazon's cloud business.

Mr Bezos will then become the company's executive chairman.

In a blog post to employees, Mr Bezos said he plans to focus on new products and early initiatives being developed at Amazon.

And he said he will have more time for side projects: his space exploration company Blue Origin; the newspaper he owns, The Washington Post; and his charities.

Read more: Oxford jab protects for 12 weeks after single dose, study suggests

Read more: Door-to-door testing to root out 'every single case' of South Africa Covid variant

Jeff Bezos said he plans to focus on new products and early initiatives being developed at Amazon
Jeff Bezos said he plans to focus on new products and early initiatives being developed at Amazon. Picture: PA

Launched in 1995, Amazon was a pioneer of fast and free shipping that won over millions of shoppers who used the site to buy nappies, TVs and just about anything.

Under Mr Bezos, Amazon also launched the first e-reader that gained mass acceptance, and its Echo listening device made voice assistants a more common sight in many living rooms.

As a child, Mr Bezos was intrigued by computers and interested in building things, such as alarms he rigged in his parents' home.

He earned a degree in electrical engineering and computer science at Princeton University, and then worked at several Wall Street companies.

He quit his job at DE Shaw to start an online retail business - though at first he was not sure what to sell.

Mr Bezos quickly determined that an online bookstore would resonate with consumers. He and his wife, MacKenzie, whom he met at DE Shaw and married in 1993, set out on a road trip to Seattle - a city chosen for its abundance of tech talent and proximity to a large book distributor in Roseburg, Oregon.

While MacKenzie drove, Mr Bezos wrote up the business plan for what would become Amazon.com.

Mr Bezos convinced his parents and some friends to invest in the idea, and Amazon began operating out of the Bezos' Seattle garage on July 16, 1995.

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Louis Gossett Jr. has died aged 87

Louis Gossett Jr, first black man to win Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, dies aged 87

Jeffrey Donaldson

DUP's Jeffrey Donaldson 'charged with historic sex offences' as he steps down as party leader

Russia bombed Ukrainian infrastructure overnight

Russia launches 'massive attack' on Ukraine's power supplies, with 'energy security under growing threat'

Newry Magistrates' Court

Man, 61, charged with non-recent sexual offences in Northern Ireland

Drivers queuing in Dover on Friday morning

Holidaymakers hit with 2-hour Dover ferry waits amid strong winds, as 2.6m hit the roads for Good Friday getaway

The attack happened on a train in south London

Teenager charged with attempted murder after south London train stabbing, with victim still in critical condition

Mother Natalie Pinnell

Mother left in tears after daughter with complex needs 'erased' from school photo

Amber Rudd and Mary Beard have both been nominated to the Garrick Club

Amber Rudd and Mary Beard among seven women nominated for membership of all-male Garrick Club

Exclusive
Anneliese Dodds said Labour would make sure local people have 'skin in the game' with tackling inequality

'Rebuild has to start from ground up,' Labour's Anneliese Dodds says, and 'local people must have skin in the game'

Mohamed Mansour has been awarded a knighthood

Conservatives accused of 'cronyism' after donor who gave £5 million awarded knighthood in surprise honours list

Exclusive
Justin Welby recalled his experience of coping with his father's drinking as a teenager.

‘It was utterly isolating’: Archbishop of Canterbury recalls harrowing childhood with alcoholic father

More than 2 million drivers are set to hit the road on Good Friday.

Easter Carmageddon: Over two million drivers to hit the road on Good Friday after Storm Nelson travel chaos

Michael Gove has slammed the water firm as a 'disgrace'.

Thames Water bosses branded a ‘disgrace’ as Michael Gove tells firm ‘not to punish consumers’ for its failings

South Africa Bus Crash

Girl, 8, the sole survivor as 45 die in bus crash off South Africa bridge

A spokesman has denied reports the sausage dog could be banned.

The wurst news is over: Germany denies claims of sausage dog ban

Israel Palestinians Britain Aid

UN top court orders Israel to open more land crossings into Gaza