Amazon chief executive officer (CEO) Andy Jassy today confirmed the rumours that have been circulating since Panos Panay’s abrupt departure from Microsoft: Panay will join Amazon at the end of October to head up its devices and services (D&S) business.
Panay, the former executive vice president and chief product officer, left Microsoft just days before its big fall event last week, where the company announced two new Surface devices as well its major AI push in Windows.
He will be replacing Dave Limp, who is retiring from Amazon at the end of the year and will work with Panay for a couple of months to assist in the transition. CNBC reported Monday that Limp will become CEO of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ spaceflight company, Blue Origin, in December.
In his new role, Panay will oversee Amazon’s Echo devices and Alexa smart assistant, as well as its tablets and other smart devices.
“As a strong product builder and inventor who has deep experience in both hardware and integrated services, Panos will be a great addition to our D&S organization moving forward,” Jassy said in a note to employees. “I remain quite excited about the invention happening and businesses that we’re building in D&S, and look forward to working with Panos.”
Added Limp, “I’ve known Panos for years, and believe he will be a great addition to this organization moving forward. He is a passionate product leader and I can’t wait to see what all of you invent together.”