CEO, Amazon, 2021-present | SVP and CEO, AWS – 2003-2021
Andy Jassy’s desire to learn and be continuously curious has allowed him to remain “one step ahead” of most tech CEOs.
That’s the verdict of Softcat head Anushka Davies, one of three channel leaders we sounded out who put the Amazon CEO in their top five vendor leaders of the 21st century.
Credited with creating AWS in 2003 alongside Jeff Bezos, Jassy is one of the few leaders in this countdown who can justifiably claim he helped usher in a new era of computing. Having helmed the public cloud trailblazer until 2021, he has since helped propel Amazon’s market value to nearly $2bn after replacing Bezos in the main hotseat.
Leadership style
Having a great attitude and being an “incredibly ravenous learner” are two principles Jassy holds dear, according to a video interview he conducted with LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky earlier this year.
Low points
In a move Jassy himself characterised as a “difficult decision”, Amazon laid off 27,000 staff last year as it moved to streamline the business in the face of economic uncertainty.
Killer quote
“For some people at a certain point, they find it too threatening or too difficult to keep learning. The second you think there’s a little left for you to learn is the second that you are unwinding as an individual and as a learning professional.” (taken from this Amazon blog)
What our panellists said about Jassy
Kate Hanaghan, Partner & Chief Research Officer, TechMarketView
“Andy Jassy played a central in not only the rise of AWS, but the evolution of a whole new market. He oversaw the growth of AWS from market challenger to industry giant, along the way creating one of the most valuable businesses in tech. With a partner ecosystem and customer base that are as broad as they are deep, Jassy created a dominant player that today is the largest firm in the TechMarketView UK Software and IT Services Ranking of players. Jassy has now replaced Bezos as Amazon CEO, and there were subsequently some question marks around certain strategic choices made by successor, Adam Selipsky. He has since been replaced by new AWS CEO, Matt Garman, who – like Selipsky – has very big boots to fill.”
Anushka Davies, Head of Employee Engagement, Diversity & Inclusion, Softcat
“What I like about Andy is his openness about putting his leadership principles out there; one of my favourite principles on learning and being continuously curious. He talks about having a good attitude and always being hungry to learn. I think this is what keeps him one step ahead as one of the best tech leaders out there! We can all learn from his principles.”
How did IT Channel Oxygen compile The Century’s Greatest Vendor Leaders? See here
