For the first time in its 27-year-history, Amazon has appointed a new CEO.

Andy Jassy, the 53 year old father of two and long-term affiliate of Jeff Bezos, is to take the reins of the Amazon empire.

As the current CEO of Amazon Web Services (AWS), Jassy is a staunch acolyte of Bezos’ business philosophies. Members of Amazon’s executive team, including its CFO Brian Olsavsky, are thrilled at the prospect of Jassy’s appointment:

‘[Jassy] is a visionary leader, a great operator, and he understands what makes Amazon a special, innovative company’

The former CEO of Amazon Web Services (AWS) has had considerable sway over the entire Amazon ecosystem for many years. Amazon’s current quarterly results confirm Jassy’s effective leadership, as it made clear that AWS is the driving force behind the entire enterprise’s profits. According to the BBC, AWS accounts for above ‘half of the company’s operating income’

Jassy’s Early Days at Amazon

Having run the cloud division since its inception nearly two decades ago, the incoming CEO is one of the company’s oldest and most loyal veterans. Jassy began his career at Amazon as soon as he completed business school:

‘I took my last final exam at Harvard Business School, the first Friday of May in 1997 and I started Amazon next Monday […] I didn’t know what my job was going to be, or what my title was going to be. It was super important to Amazon people that we come that Monday’

Jassy’s first responsibilities at Amazon included assisting Bezos in all things technical. After working closely with Bezos, Jassy set up the company’s computing division, Amazon Web Services (AWS). Since its inception in 2006, AWS is now one of Amazon’s most successful side divisions to date. It is a hugely profitable venture that provides data services to companies around the world. Some of its client organisations include Netflix, Spotify and the Central Intelligence Agency.

Jassy has been recognised as a respected figure within Big Tech for some time. According to media outlets Jassy was tapped to take the top job at Microsoft. However, out of loyalty to Bezos and the Amazon brand, Jassy declined the offer. Satya Nadella was appointed in 2014 as a result.

Jassy’s Reputation at Amazon

Relatively unknown, Jassy is one of Amazon’s most powerful executives in all of the company’s history. His appointment to the CEO role highlights the rising importance of cloud computing in Amazon’s operations; and, in retail as a whole.

Jassy and the AWS team were the first to see the potential of outsourcing computing and data storage services, even before the likes of Google and Microsoft. Although Amazon’s competitors now provide similar offerings, the AWS platform remains an uncontested competitor in its field. According to research firm Canalys, AWS is now responsible for over a third of the world’s cloud infrastructure.

Employees describe Jassy as ‘easygoing’ and ‘unassuming’; however, his character does not belie his work ethic and high expectations for co-workers. He is renowned for ‘holding tough meetings’ called ‘The Chop’, in which he grills Amazon staff on current progress. If they do not answer his questions satisfactorily, they are given ‘the chop’. According to Business Insider, Jassy is:

‘A shark who will smell a drop of blood 100 miles away if you’re not ready’

What Changes will Jassy Make?

Regarding the company’s future, the effect of Amazon’s change in leadership is still unknown. However, in his new role, Jassy will certainly make his mark on Amazon and its attached entities. These include Whole Foods, the million person workforce, logistic branches and the AI division. It is clear that Jassy’s ascending to the CEO position will have real-world effects.

Investors would like Jassy to create more offshoots of AWS, given its heralded success. Given Amazon’s current shares performance, investors seemingly have confidence in Jassy’s ability to lead the company into post-pandemic success.