Just days after announcing a series of new equipment products in New York, Amazon has unexpectedly lost one of its long-time senior leaders in the equipment and service segment.
Rob Williams, VP of Equipment Software and Services, who is also a senior advisor to CEO Andy Jassy, has announced his departure from his current position and will officially leave Amazon at the end of this year.
The information was revealed in an internal flashback that Reuters accessed, later confirmed by Amazon but without providing further details.
Veterans suddenly leave
Williams joined Amazon 12 years ago, and is considered a key figure in shaping the software experience of many outstanding products such as smart speakers Echo, kindle readers or Fire TV series.
In 2022, he was added to the S-team group, the inner-most 29-member advisory board of CEO Jassy.
The departure of an S member is a rare event, as it is considered a ring of honor with special access to the highest executive board of Amazon.
Panos Panay, Senior Vice President of Equipment and Services, said Williams has decided to retire after more than a decade of dedication.
Rob has had a huge impact on the software and user experience of most of the products we create and distribute, Panay emphasized.
Williams has not announced his future plans yet, but he will continue to be a consultant for Panay and Group S until the end of 2025.
Restructuring equipment parts
Along with Williams' departure, Amazon also announced important changes in equipment part.
The Alexa Smart Vehicle group will be merged into the broader Alexa group. Tapas Roy, former Senior Vice President of Fire TV, was appointed to replace Williams.
This move comes as Amazon's equipment segment continues to face financial difficulties, having to cut staff and eliminate some ineffective products.
However, the company still regularly launches new devices. At the event held in New York, Amazon introduced the new generation of Echo, improved color kindles and Fire TV with superior display quality.
Challenges with Alexa and Vega OS
One of the department's focuses is improving Alexa with artificial intelligence technology, but Reuters said the project has been sluggish for many years and has not yet provided a clear profit direction.
Meanwhile, Amazon is rolling out Android for the first time to a Fire board and introducing Vega, a new operating system for the Fire TV.
Before leaving, Williams posted on LinkedIn about Vega, calling it a no one can get platform, promising faster speed and lower costs than Android.
This operating system will appear on new Fire TV streaming devices expected to launch later this month.
Williams' departure shows that the Amazon is going through an important transition period.
While new devices are constantly being launched, challenges in terms of profits and technological innovation are still a difficult problem for the e-commerce giant.
