Andy Gacy to replace Jeff Bezos as Amazon CEO at a critical time: NPR

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Jeff Bezos resigned as CEO of Amazon on Monday and hands the reins to long-time Vice President Andy Gacy. John Locher / AP Hide Caption

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Jeff Bezos resigned as CEO of Amazon on Monday and hands the reins to long-time Vice President Andy Gacy.

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Jeff Bezos stepped down as Amazon CEO on Monday, exactly 27 years since he started the e-commerce giant in a garage in West Bellevue, Washington.

Bezos is handing day-to-day tasks to his longtime deputy Andy Gacy, but he will continue to wield significant influence as the company’s CEO.

Under Bezos, Amazon has transformed itself from an online bookstore startup into the world’s largest online retailer. Bezos led the company safely through the internet bubble that burst in the early 2000s, then launched a period of ruthless expansion, pushing its influence far beyond online commerce.

Amazon now runs big companies in grocery stores, cloud computing, smart devices, the movie industry, and even fashion brands.

Bezos, the world’s richest man, told employees earlier this year that handing the reins to Jassy would allow him to focus on other projects, such as philanthropic endeavors to tackle climate change and space exploration company Blue Origin (Bezos himself plans to travel to the edge of space on a rocket he built company in two weeks).

Bezos will remain the largest shareholder in Amazon.

“Jeff isn’t really going anywhere,” Brian Olsavsky, Amazon’s chief financial officer, told reporters in February. “It’s a restructuring of who does what.”

Gacy, who joined Amazon in 1997, was the CEO of Amazon Web Services, the cloud computing giant that is Amazon’s most profitable division and helps power large segments of the Internet, including Netflix, Facebook and Twitter.

The transition arrives at a pivotal time for Amazon. The pandemic’s shift to remote work has been a huge boon for the company, as profits surge as Americans stuck at home shop more online and demand additional cloud computing resources.

Andy Gacy, the former CEO of Amazon Web Services, is the new CEO of Amazon. Isaac Brekken / AP Hide Caption

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Andy Gacy, the former CEO of Amazon Web Services, is the new CEO of Amazon.

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However, these new fortunes come during a period of increased stress.

Amazon’s competitive practices are under investigation by Congress, the Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission and regulators in Europe, with government officials accusing the company of abusing its market dominance.

Amazon drivers and other workers alleged abuse and complained about difficult working conditions at Amazon factories

Brad Stone, a senior editor at Bloomberg News who has written two books on Amazon, said Bezos has an extraordinary talent for problem-solving and focusing on many disparate issues simultaneously, but empathy has never been his strength.

Gacy has long viewed Bezos as a mentor, but colleagues have said he is more moderate, soft-spoken, and less prone to outbursts of angry outbursts, compared to Bezos.

As Jassy takes over as CEO, one of the main challenges will be to mollify the tougher side of the Amazon empire, instilling in the company what Stone calls a more humble image.

“Gacy is taking charge at a critical time,” Stone told NPR. “Not only does he inherit massive success, he inherits all the baggage that comes with it.”

Stone added that Gacy’s presence at the helm of the company may be intended to change perceptions of Amazon, a company that has become an inevitable part of everyday life, but which the author says provokes mixed feelings.

“I think Gacy should make Amazon a more compassionate, friendlier company,” Stone said. “He has to find the heart of Amazon.”

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