5 fascinating facts about Andy Jassy, the Amazon CEO who succeeds Jeff Bezos
5 fascinating facts about Andy Jassy, the Amazon CEO who succeeds Jeff Bezos
Andy Jassy will officially succeed Jeff Bezos as CEO of Amazon on July 5, 2021. The company made the announcement during a shareholder meeting on Wednesday.
Jassy, an American business tycoon who currently serves as CEO of Amazon Web Services (AWS), would take on the new role as Bezos transitions to the executive chair of Amazon's board of directors.
Jassy is set to take the helm of Amazon at a time when the e-commerce and streaming behemoth has just completed a $8.45 billion acquisition of the television company Metro-Goldwyn Mayer (MGM).
Here are five (5) interesting facts about the incoming Amazon CEO that you may not be aware of.
Andy Jassy is of Jewish-Hungarian origin
Jassy was born in Scarsdale, New York, to Margery and Everett L. Jassy, a Jewish family of Hungarian ancestry. He was brought up as a Jew in the United States.
Later that year, in 1997, Jassy married his wife, Elena Caplan, at the age of 29. They were married in a Jewish ceremony in California. Elena's father was at the time the president of the "Jewish Television Network."
Jassy co-founded AWS with Jeff Bezos
Amazon Web Services (AWS) was founded in 2003 by Andy Jassy and Jeff Bezos. Andy led the 57-member AWS team initially before being promoted to CEO of the subsidiary in April 2016.
Since then, AWS has grown to be Amazon's largest revenue source and most profitable subsidiary, generating $13.5 billion in Q1 2021 alone. Indeed, analysts forecast that AWS revenue will reach $71 billion in 2022, valuing the division at nearly $350 billion.
Jassy is also credited with co-founding Amazon Music, the company's music streaming service.
He is NOT, in fact, a billionaire
According to Forbes, Andy Jassy had an estimated net worth of approximately $440 million as of February 2021.
By contrast, Jeff Bezos' ($189 billion) net worth is more than 400 times that of the incoming Amazon CEO. This is despite the fact that Jassy, along with Bezos, owns the most Amazon stock of any employee.
Amazon's new CEO owns 81,500 shares but is not yet a billionaire. Nonetheless, the business magnate spent $6.7 million on a 5,500-square-foot house in Santa Monica, California.
Jassy supports LGBTQ rights
Interestingly, despite being a Jew, Jassy is a proponent of the LGBTQ community's demand for equal civic rights. He is vehement in his opposition to discrimination, harassment, and profiling of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ+) individuals.
FT’s Person of the Year in March 2016
The Financial Times (FT) named Jassy, 53, Person of the Year in March 2016. He was recognized for his pivotal role in AWS's success despite his lack of technical expertise. AWS is currently the world's largest provider of technology infrastructure, serving companies such as Netflix, Airbnb, and Slack.
Courses and Certification
Customer Service Tech Course and Certificate
Computer Programming Course and Certificate
