Amazon Chief Media Officer Jeff Blackburn Announces Plans to Retire in 2023
Amazon.com CEO Jeff Blackburn plans to retire in early 2023, the e-commerce giant said Friday.
The company said the media and entertainment businesses, led by Blackburn since May last year, will be overseen by two current executives, Mike Hopkins and Steve Boom, who will report directly to Chief Executive Officer Andy Jassy.
Businesses include Prime Video, Amazon Studios, Music, Audio, Games, and Twitch.
Blackburn, who also served as a senior vice president at Amazon, joined Amazon in 1998 and guided the company through its initial public offering prospectus to Deutsche Bank.
He left Amazon briefly in February 2021, before returning again in May 2021.
“I have decided to spend 2023 in a different way, giving more time to my family, and I feel that this is the right decision for me,” said Blackburn.
Over the past year and a half, Blackburn has been a key player in the success of shows like Rings of Power and the acquisition of film studio MGM this year, Amazon said.
At that time, Amazon saw the layoffs of many people in November this year, which are now said to extend into next year, as stated by CEO Andy Jassy. The company notified employees in its devices and literature sections about the layoffs. A few employees were also given a voluntary purchase offer.
Amazon has already announced that it will lay off about 260 employees at various facilities in the state. For those downsizing, Amazon offers separation packages. It’s one of many tech companies seeing massive layoffs this year. Meta and Twitter also announced job cuts in November, laying off thousands of workers.
