Who is Andy Jassy? - FourWeekMBA

Andy Jassy is a business executive who currently serves as the CEO of Amazon and also on its board of directors. Having worked at Amazon for 25 years in an era where employees switch jobs frequently, Jassy’s loyalty to the eCommerce giant is commendable.

Category	Details
Full Name	Andrew R. Jassy
Date of Birth	January 13, 1968
Place of Birth	Scarsdale, New York, USA
Nationality	American
Education	Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University, Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School
Early Career	Marketing manager for MBI, project manager for a collectibles company
Major Companies	Amazon
Positions	President and CEO of Amazon, Former CEO of Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Major Projects	Founding and scaling Amazon Web Services (AWS), Overseeing Amazon’s expansion into various markets
Notable Achievements	Transforming AWS into a leading cloud computing service provider, Becoming CEO of Amazon in 2021 after Jeff Bezos
Net Worth	Estimated around $400 million (as of 2023)
Personal Life	Married to Elana Rochelle Caplan, Two children, Known for a low-profile personal life

Table of Contents

MBI

Jassy graduated from Harvard College, Massachusetts in 1990 and initially worked as a sportscaster at ABC Sports and Fox. However, he soon discovered that he lacked the patience to stick with the career long enough to make it to the big time.

Jassy then worked as a project manager for sports collectibles company MBI where he learned about general management and entrepreneurship. He later co-founded a start-up with a college friend and MBI colleague, but the venture was short-lived because, in Jassy’s words, “we knew that what we were building was not what we both wanted to do forever.”

Amazon

Jassy then earned an MBA from Harvard Business School (HBS) and sat his last exam on the first Friday of May 1997. The following Monday and three weeks before the company went public, he started at Amazon in its marketing team alongside several other HBS graduates.

Jassy had initially set his sights on a career at software company Intuit, but when Amazon recruiter Jennifer Cast found his resume in a pile at the HBS career office, she made contact.

For a few months, the new recruit managed competitive intelligence and customer retention. Jassy was later moved into the SWAT team whose primary objective was to find product categories Amazon – then a book retailer – could expand into.

Over the ensuing years, Jassy worked in customer relationship management, product management, and was also the general manager of Amazon’s music business.

He was then appointed to the Shadow Job for 18 months – a role that required him to shadow Jeff Bezos as he went about his day.

One of Jassy’s roles was to serve as the ears of the CEO in rooms where Bezos’s very presence could derail discussions.

In 2003, Bezos and Jassy envisioned a cloud computing platform that later became known as Amazon Web Services (AWS). In 2016, he was promoted from senior vice president to CEO of AWS.

Jassy becomes Amazon CEO

Bezos formally announced Jassy as his successor in February 2021 as part of Amazon’s fourth-quarter earnings report. Jassy became CEO on July 5 – the same day Bezos had founded the company in 1994.

For Bezos, Jassy was a natural replacement. He embodied Amazon’s corporate values to put customers first, move fast, and be frugal. Both men also share a competitive streak, mistrust conventional wisdom, and are hard workers.

Jassy also brings some unique qualities to the role, such as his unassuming nature and ability to connect with colleagues. He is also adept at asking questions that cut to the heart of a matter and can easily spot subordinate hyperbole.

Key takeaways:

Andy Jassy is a business executive who currently serves as the CEO of Amazon and also on its board of directors. Having worked at Amazon for 25 years in an era where employees switch jobs frequently, Jassy’s loyalty to the eCommerce giant stands out.
Jassy earned an MBA from Harvard Business School (HBS) and sat his last exam on the first Friday of May 1997. The following Monday and three weeks before the company went public, he started at Amazon in its marketing team.
Bezos formally announced Jassy as his successor in February 2021 as part of Amazon’s fourth-quarter earnings report. Jassy embodies many of Amazon’s core values and while he shares some qualities with Bezos, he also brings some that are unique.

Key Highlights

Andy Jassy: Currently the CEO of Amazon and a member of its board of directors, Jassy has exhibited remarkable loyalty by spending 25 years at the company in an era where job switches are common.
Early Career: After graduating from Harvard College, Jassy worked briefly as a sportscaster but found his niche in general management and entrepreneurship at MBI, a sports collectibles company.
Amazon Beginnings: Jassy joined Amazon in 1997, shortly before the company went public. He initially worked in the marketing team and was part of a group of Harvard Business School graduates hired by Amazon.
Progressive Roles: Over the years, Jassy worked in various roles at Amazon, including competitive intelligence, customer relationship management, and product management. He was also the general manager of Amazon’s music business.
Shadowing Jeff Bezos: Jassy undertook the “Shadow Job” for 18 months, closely accompanying Jeff Bezos in his daily activities and serving as his ears in meetings.
Amazon Web Services (AWS): In 2003, Jassy and Bezos conceptualized Amazon Web Services (AWS), a cloud computing platform. Jassy became the CEO of AWS in 2016.
Succession as Amazon CEO: In February 2021, Jeff Bezos announced Jassy as his successor as Amazon’s CEO. Jassy officially assumed the role on July 5, the same date Bezos founded Amazon in 1994.
Alignment with Amazon Values: Jassy embodies Amazon’s core values of customer-centricity, agility, and frugality. He shares traits like a competitive spirit and skepticism of conventional wisdom with Bezos.
Unique Qualities: Jassy possesses distinct attributes, including an unassuming nature, strong ability to connect with colleagues, skillful questioning, and an eye for cutting through hyperbole.