Amazon (AMZN.O) is set to lose one of its senior-most executives in the devices and services division, just days after unveiling a slate of new hardware. Rob Williams, vice president of device software and services and a member of CEO Andy Jassy’s elite senior leadership group known as the S-team, will leave his post and fully exit the company at the end of 2025, according to an internal memo reviewed by Reuters. Amazon confirmed the memo but declined to provide further details.
Williams, who has spent 12 years at the company and joined the 29-member S-team in late 2022, played a key role in shaping the software and user experience across Amazon’s hardware lineup, from Echo speakers to Fire TV. Panos Panay, Amazon’s senior vice president of devices and services, praised Williams in the memo, saying he had “a big impact on the software and experiences of nearly all of the products we’ve created and shipped.”
Effective Thursday, Panay also announced a restructuring of the division, including merging the Alexa Smart Vehicle unit into the broader Alexa group. Tapas Roy, formerly vice president of Fire TV product and engineering, will take over Williams’ role. Williams will remain an advisor to Panay and to the S-team until the end of next year, Reuters reported.
Williams’ departure is notable as exits from the S-team are rare. The group is regarded as a badge of honor within Amazon, with unique access to the CEO. He was seen at Amazon’s showcase event earlier this week in New York, where the company revealed refreshed Echo speakers, color Kindle e-readers, and upgraded Fire TVs.
The shake-up comes as Amazon’s devices and services unit struggles with profitability. The division has faced layoffs and slow progress on its flagship project to embed generative AI into Alexa, Reuters reported in August. The company is also overhauling its Fire tablets to run Android for the first time.
Earlier this week, Williams touted Amazon’s new proprietary operating system Vega in a rare LinkedIn post. Vega, set to debut in new Fire TV devices later this month, is designed to replace Google’s Android software, promising faster speeds at lower costs. “No one else has anything like it,” Williams wrote.
