AWS CEO Adam Selipsky to step down in June

Adam Selipsky is set to step down as chief executive at AWS, the company has revealed.

Selipsky, who has held the role since 2021, will be replaced by Matt Garman, SVP of AWS sales and marketing, next month.

Garman has been at Amazon for around 19 years, having first started as an intern in 2005 before later becoming the company’s first product manager for EC2.

In an internal memo, Selipsky told staff he was leaving to spend more time with family and that the time was right to step down.

“Given the state of the business and the leadership team, now is an appropriate moment for me to make this transition, and to take the opportunity to spend more time with family for a while, recharge a bit, and create some mental free space to reflect and consider the possibilities,” he wrote.

“Matt and the AWS leadership team are ready for this next big opportunity. I’m excited to see what they and you do next, because I know it will be impressive. The future is bright for AWS (and for Amazon). I wish you all the very best of luck on this adventure.”

Selipsky has spent nearly 15 years at the tech giant over two stints. From 2016, he served as CEO of Tableau Software, which is owned by Salesforce.

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy thanked Selipsky, adding that the cloud division will be in safe hands under Garman’s leadership.

“I’d like to thank Adam for everything he’s done to lead AWS over the past three years. He took over in the middle of the pandemic, which presented a wide array of leadership and business challenges,” he said. “Under his direction, the team made the right long-term decision to help customers become more efficient in their spend, even if it meant less short-term revenue for AWS.”

Over the last 18 months, Selipsky has been highly vocal on AWS’ generative AI plans. 

While the firm lost an early lead to Microsoft, the tech giant has pursued aggressively and has rolled out "several impactful generative AI services", according to Jassy. 

This includes Amazon Bedrock, the firm’s flagship AI model framework, and the Amazon Q AI assistant. 

AWS earnings in Q1 2024 also pointed to a rebound for the hyperscaler after a difficult period. The cloud division recorded 17% growth year-over-year in Q1.

“Adam leaves AWS in a strong position, having reached a $100 billion annual revenue run rate this past quarter, with YoY revenue accelerating again,” Jassy said.

“And perhaps most importantly, AWS continues to lead on operational performance, security, reliability, and the overall breadth and depth of our services. I’m deeply appreciative of Adam’s leadership during this time, and for the entire team’s dedication to deliver for customers and the business.”