Amazon has confirmed the departure of Adam Selipsky from his role as CEO of Amazon Web Services (AWS) in a public blog post following an internal memo from Amazon CEO Andy Jassy and subsequent notes from the outgoing CEOs. and new from AWS.
The move is not surprising: Selipsky, who was rehired by Amazon in May 2021 as CEO of AWS, agreed to take the role, arguing that it would prepare the business for a new generation of leadership.
Selipsky, who transitioned from a five-and-a-half-year stint as CEO of Tableau, spent 11 years at AWS between 2005 and 2016. His role will now be assumed by 18-year AWS veteran Matt Garman in June. 3.
AWS gets a (not so) new CEO
Garman, who officially joined AWS in 2006 after a few months of internship, has led Global Sales, Marketing and Services since 2020.
Jassy summed up Garman’s suitability for the role: “Matt has an unusually strong set of skills and experiences for his new role. He is very customer-focused, an excellent product leader, he is inventive, he is a smart problem-solver, he is very right, he has high standards and a significant drive for action, and in the 18 years he has been at AWS, he has been one of the best apprentices I have ever had. I have found.”
In his letter, Jassy also praised Slipsky's leadership during his time at AWS, recognizing his efforts to overcome challenges such as those presented to him during the pandemic.
Under his leadership, Amazon Web Services posted $25 billion in revenue in its most recent quarter, marking a hefty 17% year-over-year increase.
Looking ahead, Garman left a cloud of uncertainty for AWS workers in the memo, noting that “we will naturally make some organizational adjustments as part of this transition, so look for details on them in the coming weeks.”
