What’s in store for Amazon after Jeff Bezos bows out?
Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder and CEO, is stepping down after 27 years in charge. What will change at the e-commerce behemoth? Matthew Partridge reports
In a “surprise move”, Amazon announced last week that its founder Jeff Bezos is stepping down as CEO, says James Titcomb in The Daily Telegraph. Bezos will move to the role of executive chairman in the third quarter of this year, allowing him “more time for interests in other areas”. Andy Jassy, the current head of Amazon’s successful cloud-computing division, will replace Bezos as CEO. The announcement came as the company posted record sales, surpassing $100bn in a single quarter for the first time as it benefited from lockdowns that have “pummelled physical retailers”.
Bezos won’t disappear, say Nils Pratley in The Guardian. As chairman he “will still run the board” and have “freedom to roam wherever he wishes”. If Bezos and Jassy disagree, “everybody knows who will prevail” given that Bezos “owns 10% of the shares”. The move may be a largely cosmetic device to enable him to “avoid the next grilling in front of US lawmakers” over Amazon’s treatment of small businesses, workers or anti-trust issues. With Bezos still making the big corporate decisions “real change at Amazon may be hard to detect”.
The “everything store”
Investors should certainly not expect the business model of the so-called “everything store” to change radically under the new management team, says Lex in the Financial Times. Not only will Bezos still “oversee the business” in his new role, even after his departure, but his replacement is also hardly someone who will look to shake things up. Jassy “has been with Amazon for 24 years, joining straight out of Harvard Business School” and is both a “loyal employee and successful business developer”.
MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Still, things are unlikely to remain completely the same, says Jim Armitage in the Evening Standard. The move “could signal a shift in the group’s focus towards more business-to-business operations”. Jassy has successfully run Amazon Web Services (AWS), which now “powers around 45% of the world’s cloud-hosted websites”. AWS was already “the biggest profit generator at Amazon before lockdown”, but with the restrictions driving businesses “to digitise their systems and power them remotely through the cloud”, it has “grown massively since”. There have even been rumours that AWS could be split from the company, though Jassy’s elevation makes this unlikely.
AWS has been “one of Amazon’s jewels”, booking “more than half of its operating profit despite accounting for just 12% of total sales”, says Jennifer Saba on Breakingviews. But it must keep growing fast as the rest of the business faces increased pressure. Operating costs shot up by 42% in the fourth quarter “because costs associated with worldwide shipping rose about two-thirds”. It expects sales volumes to drop by 25% this quarter compared with the previous three months as vaccines and the end of lockdown create more choice about where to buy goods.
-
ISS backs Edinburgh Worldwide’s board as Saba questions SpaceX selloffShareholder advisor ISS has recommended that shareholders vote against Saba’s proposals to replace the board of the Baillie Gifford-managed investment trust
-
13 tax changes in 2026 – which taxes are going up?As 2026 gets underway, we look at what lies ahead in terms of changes to tax rates and allowances this year and how it will affect you.
-
'Investors will reap long-term rewards from being bullish on UK equities'Opinion Nick Train, portfolio manager, Finsbury Growth & Income Trust, highlights three UK equities where he’d put his money
-
The graphene revolution is progressing slowly but surely – how to investEnthusiasts thought the discovery that graphene, a form of carbon, could be extracted from graphite would change the world. They might've been early, not wrong.
-
A strong year for dividend hero Murray International – can it continue its winning streak?Murray International has been the best-performing global equity trust over the past 12 months, says Max King
-
The shape of yields to comeCentral banks are likely to buy up short-term bonds to keep debt costs down for governments
-
The sad decline of investment clubs – and what comes nextOpinion Financial regulation and rising costs are killing off investment clubs that once used to be an enjoyable hobby, says David Prosser
-
How to profit from the UK leisure sector in 2026The UK leisure sector had a straitened few years but now have cash in the bank and are ready to splurge. The sector is best placed to profit
-
Who won the streaming wars?The battle of the TV and film streaming giants for dominance looks to be entering a final phase. The likely winner may surprise you, says Simon Wilson
-
'Investors should expect a good year for equities'Opinion The economy is positive, and investors are still cautious, says Max King
