---
title: "Jeff Bezos Is Stepping Down as CEO of Amazon"
description: "Jeff Bezos has become a household name at Amazon. But now, he said in a letter to employees, he's stepping down from the retail giant."
date: "2021-02-02"
modified: "2021-02-02"
authors:
  - name: "Jon Christian"
    job_title: "Executive Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/jeff-bezos-stepping-down"
categories:
  - "Future Society"
  - "Jeff Bezos"
  - "The Industrialists"
tags:
  - "Amazon"
  - "jeff bezos"
  - "the digest"
---

# Jeff Bezos Is Stepping Down as CEO of Amazon

![Jeff Bezos has become a household name at Amazon. But now, he said in a letter to employees, he's stepping down from the retail giant.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/bezos.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Mathieu Thouvenin via Flickr\</em\>*

## Era Ender

Jeff Bezos has become a household name as he's built Amazon up from a humble online marketplace to a civilization-scale empire.

But now, he [said in a letter to employees](<https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/02/jeff-bezos-to-step-down-as-amazon-ceo-andy-jassy-to-take-over-in-q3.html>), he's stepping down.

"As much as I still tap dance into the office, I’m excited about this transition," he wrote. "Being the CEO of Amazon is a deep responsibility, and it’s consuming."

## Exec Function

Filling Bezos' shoes will be Andy Jassy, the current CEO of Amazon Web Services.

Bezos, meanwhile, will become executive chair of Amazon's board, a role where he says he'll remain involved with the company — but will also be able to find "time and energy I need to focus on the Day 1 Fund, the Bezos Earth Fund, Blue Origin, The Washington Post, and my other passions."

"I’ve never had more energy, and this isn’t about retiring," he said. "I’m super passionate about the impact I think these organizations can have."

**READ MORE:** [Jeff Bezos to step down as Amazon CEO, Andy Jassy to take over in Q3](<https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/02/jeff-bezos-to-step-down-as-amazon-ceo-andy-jassy-to-take-over-in-q3.html>) \[*CNBC*\]

**More on Jeff Bezos:** [*Behold: Jeff Bezos Just Showed off a Pair of Huge Mecha-Hands*](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/jeff-bezos-huge-mecha-hands>)

## Author
I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/jonchristian.net>)