Andy Jassy, the current CEO of Amazon, has an inspiring career journey that proves the power of hard work, perseverance, and innovation. Born to successful parents in Scarsdale, New York, Jassy attended Scarsdale High School and played varsity soccer and tennis. After graduating cum laude from Harvard College, where he was the advertising manager of The Harvard Crimson, Jassy went on to earn his MBA from Harvard Business School.
From collectibles
After working for several years as a project manager for a collectibles company, Jassy joined Amazon in 1997 as a marketing manager. He quickly rose through the ranks and became the SVP and later the CEO of Amazon Web Services (AWS) in 2003, where he headed a team of 57 people.
Under his leadership, AWS became one of the most successful and profitable divisions of Amazon, providing cloud computing services to millions of customers worldwide.
Challenges and risks
Despite his tremendous success, Jassy faced numerous challenges throughout his career. One of the biggest challenges was convincing Jeff Bezos, the founder and former CEO of Amazon, to invest in AWS. At the time, many people within Amazon were skeptical of the idea, but Jassy believed in the potential of cloud computing and persevered until he convinced Bezos to take the risk.
Jassy’s leadership and innovation paid off, and AWS became a game-changer in the tech industry. In 2016, Jassy was named Person of the Year by the Financial Times, and he was promoted to the CEO of AWS. That year, he earned $36.6 million.
Salary
In January 2021, Jassy was designated as the official successor to Jeff Bezos as CEO of Amazon, and he took over the position in July of that year. During his first year running Amazon, Jassy received a pay package of $212.7 million, a testament to his incredible leadership and success.
Despite his busy schedule, Jassy also makes time for philanthropic endeavors. He is the chairman of Rainier Prep, a charter school in Seattle, and he and his wife Elana have been actively involved in several charitable causes.
Jassy’s story is a reminder that with hard work, determination, and innovative thinking, anyone can achieve success. He is an inspiration to many young entrepreneurs and business leaders who aspire to make a difference in the world.