Jeff Bezos Built Amazon 27 Years Ago. He Now Steps Down As CEO At Critical Time

https://www.npr.org/2021/07/05/ [login to see] /jeff-bezos-built-amazon-27-years-ago-he-now-steps-down-as-ceo-at-critical-time
Jeff Bezos stepped down as Amazon's CEO on Monday, exactly 27 years since he started the e-commerce giant in a garage in West Bellevue, Wash.

Bezos is handing day-to-day duties to his longtime deputy Andy Jassy but will continue to hold considerable sway as the company's executive chairman.

Under Bezos, Amazon transformed itself from an online bookseller startup into the world's largest online retailer. Bezos led the company safely through the dot-com bubble bursting in the early 2000s then launched a period of ruthless expansion, pushing its influence far beyond Internet commerce.

Amazon now commands sizable businesses in grocery stores, cloud computing, smart devices, filmmaking and even fashion brands.

Bezos, the richest man on the planet, told employees earlier this year that handing the reins to Jassy would allow him to focus on other projects, like philanthropic pursuits addressing climate change and his space exploration company Blue Origin (Bezos himself is planning to fly to the edge of space on a rocket built by the company in two weeks).