Amazon Web Services (AWS) CEO, Andy Jassy, is set to replace Jeff Bezos as the boss of Amazon later this year.
Bezos, who founded Amazon in 1994, will become Executive Chairman and remain involved in high-level strategic decisions at the online giant.
Jassy has been at Amazon since 1997 and was instrumental in the inception of AWS in the early noughties before its launch in 2006. Prior to this, he had been Bezos’ Chief of Staff.
“In the Exec Chair role, I intend to focus my energies and attention on new products and early initiatives,” Bezos said in an open email to staff.
“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”
The announcement came as Amazon revealed sales had rocketed in its Q4 – up 44 per cent year on year to $125.6bn. This is the first time Amazon has broken the $100bn in a single quarter.
AWS continues to be the main profit generator, with the cloud computing arm accounting for just 10 per cent of Amazon’s sales ($12.7bn) but 51 per cent of operating income ($3.6bn). Year-on-year growth for AWS in Q4 stood at 28 per cent.
Bezos said that his new role as Executive Chairman will give him more time to focus on other interests, including his space travel company Blue Origin and The Washington Post, which be acquired in 2013.
"Amazon couldn’t be better positioned for the future," he added. "We are firing on all cylinders, just as the world needs us to.
