Jeff Bezos will be stepping down from this role as the CEO of Amazon, making way for Andy Jassy to take over the position.
Ask about the life goals of any working individual, and chances are they would have a bucket list to pursue post-retirement. The common thought process is fueled by the desire to reap your harvest, usually with an easy life after years of struggle. It can only be imagined how rewarding the process will be if your struggle resulted in the world’s most valuable company and you being the richest person in the world.
That is a sentiment that Jeff Bezos is going to experience very soon. After spending a total of twenty-seven years at the helm of one of the most diversified companies on Earth, Bezos is ready to step down from his post as the CEO of Amazon, making way for Andy Jassy to fill in his shoes.
Note that Bezos will not entirely be off Amazon’s files. He will continue to remain Amazon’s largest shareholder and will serve as the executive chairman of the company. He won’t indulge in the everyday working of the firm. He instead plans to focus on initiatives like the Day 1 Fund, the Bezos Earth Fund, Blue Origin and his other passions.
The most immediate one would be a trip to space with his brother Mark. Scheduled for July 20, Bezos will be on the first flight aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard space capsule, likely becoming the first billionaire to travel to space. Setting such records, it is highly unlikely that Bezos will miss his busy office days back on Earth. Still, Bezos’ decision marks the end of an era that saw a persisting entrepreneur reach heights of a business that were unimagined before. The world was a testimony to his rise, as an online bookstore managed from the garage of a rented home in Seattle became the world’s biggest online marketplace in about three decades.
It wasn’t just the e-commerce that made Amazon the behemoth it is today. The one factor that always differentiated the company from any other in its line of business was its pursuit of innovation, especially in the field of technology. This was more of a virtue of Bezos than that of the company.
