Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos, has officially stepped down from his role as the company’s chief executive on the company’s 27th anniversary.
Jeff Bezos has handed the role over to Andy Jassy, Amazon’s cloud chief, who will receive more than $200 million in extra stock that will be paid out over 10 years. Jassy has worked for Amazon for over 20 years.
Jeff Bezos has announced that he will now be focusing on dedicating his time to his personal projects, including his private spaceflight company, Blue Origin, which has a launch scheduled for 20 July 2021.
He also said that he will focus more of his time on fighting climate change and managing The Washington Post, the newspaper he owns.
Bezos will now function in the role of executive chair – almost a strategic advisor to the new CEO. He retains over 10% of all of Amazon’s shares, which makes him the majority shareholder and insures that he can shape the decisions of the new CEO.
ALSO READ: Sir Richard Branson sets date to make spaceflight
Sources: BBC, Sky News, Metro.co.uk, Star
Sir Richard Branson has named the date he’ll fly to the edge of space. It will be on 11 July, or very soon after.
Sir Richard Branson will be a passenger in the back of the Unity rocket plane that his Virgin Galactic company has been developing in the US for the better part of two decades.
“I’ve always been a dreamer. My mum taught me to never give up and to reach for the stars. On July 11, it’s time to turn that dream into a reality aboard the next @virgingalactic spaceflight #Unity22,” he said on his Instagram page.
The Unity rocket plane can climb to an altitude of 90 km. Those on board will be able to have a fabulous view of earth.
