Amazon’s CEO, Andy Jessy, joined the company in its early days (1997). He now has 94,729 shares, making him a top individual shareholder of the company. Those shares are worth around $9 million. However, Andy Jessy might have sold part of the shares he got over the years, and he has a $175,000 salary, which makes him a millionaire.
| 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) |
| Business Milestones | – 1997: Joined Amazon as a marketing manager, quickly rising through the ranks to become a key lieutenant of Jeff Bezos. – 2003: Founded Amazon Web Services (AWS), which has grown into the world’s leading cloud computing platform, generating significant revenue and profit for Amazon. – 2016: Named CEO of AWS, overseeing its expansion and leading it to become a $40 billion revenue business. – 2018: AWS achieved $25.6 billion in revenue, representing a substantial portion of Amazon’s total operating income. – 2020: AWS continued to grow, reaching $45.3 billion in revenue, further solidifying its market dominance in cloud computing. – 2021: Appointed President and CEO of Amazon, succeeding Jeff Bezos, and taking over the leadership of one of the world’s largest and most influential companies. – 2021: Under Jassy’s leadership, AWS maintained its strong growth trajectory, while Amazon continued to expand its e-commerce, entertainment, and technology offerings. – 2022: Focused on maintaining Amazon’s growth and addressing challenges such as regulatory scrutiny and labor relations. – 2023: Continued to drive innovation at Amazon, with a focus on sustainability, technological advancement, and expanding Amazon’s global footprint. |
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
- Career Progression at Amazon:
- Andy Jassy joined Amazon in its early days in 1997, three weeks before the company went public.
- He began his Amazon career in the marketing team after completing his MBA from Harvard Business School.
- Jassy worked in various roles, including competitive intelligence, customer retention, and the SWAT team identifying new product categories.
- He served as the general manager of Amazon’s music business and gained experience in customer relationship and product management.
- Jassy played a significant role in the development of Amazon Web Services (AWS), the cloud computing platform envisioned by him and Jeff Bezos in 2003.
- Leadership Qualities:
- Jassy was appointed to a Shadow Job, where he shadowed Jeff Bezos for 18 months, gaining insights into Bezos’s decision-making and company management.
- He exhibited qualities such as unassuming nature, ability to connect with colleagues, and a skill for asking incisive questions.
- Succession to Amazon CEO:
- In February 2021, Jeff Bezos formally announced Andy Jassy as his successor in Amazon’s fourth-quarter earnings report.
- Jassy became CEO on July 5, 2021, coinciding with the anniversary of Amazon’s founding in 1994.
- He shares Amazon’s core values of customer-centricity, agility, and frugality.
- Jassy’s leadership is marked by qualities that align with Bezos’s approach while also bringing his own unique strengths to the role.
- Longevity and Loyalty:
- Andy Jassy’s loyalty to Amazon is noteworthy, as he remained with the company for 25 years, a period when job-switching is common in the tech industry.
Connected to Amazon Business Model
