Amazon’s AWS chief, Adam Selipsky, 57, will be stepping down from his position on June 3 after a successful three-year term leading the cloud computing unit. He will be succeeded by Matt Garman, a senior vice president who has been overseeing sales and marketing at AWS.
Selipsky, who is also a member of Amazon’s team advising CEO Andy Jassy, has been instrumental in the rapid growth of AWS during his tenure. Under his leadership, AWS doubled its sales from $45.4 billion to $90.8 billion in 2023 and nearly doubled its operating income to $24.6 billion.
Despite the success, AWS has faced criticism for not rolling out competitive generative artificial intelligence services quickly enough to keep up with competitors like OpenAI. However, the recent launch of the Amazon Q chatbot service for businesses shows AWS’s commitment to innovation.
Selipsky’s departure comes as a surprise to many, but he has stated that he is leaving the company to “spend more time with family.” His successor, Matt Garman, has been with Amazon since 2005 and has a strong background in product management.
AWS, Amazon’s second-biggest business unit after e-commerce, is a key driver of the company’s growth, contributing about 40% to its top line. Garman will have big shoes to fill as he takes over the reins from Selipsky and leads AWS into the next phase of its development.