SEATTLE: Twenty-seven years to the day after founding Amazon in a Bellevue garage, Jeff Bezos has relinquished control of his company. Bezos’ trusted deputy, Andy Jassy, stepped into his new role as Amazon’s chief executive on July 5.
Jassy, 53, is an Amazon culture keeper, those who know him say. He joined the company in 1997, and spent 18 months early in his career shadowing Bezos in a chief-of-staff-like role. Colleagues say that like Bezos, 57, Jassy pays close attention to details and has a keen business acumen. Since 2003, Jassy has helmed Amazon Web Services, the company’s cloud-computing wing and most profitable division.