Yahoo Finance Amazon Hires Microsoft Product Chief Panay to Run Devices Unit
(Bloomberg) -- Amazon.com Inc. lured away longtime Microsoft Corp. executive Panos Panay, to head the company’s devices and services business.
Most Read from Bloomberg
Airbnb Is Fundamentally Broken, Its CEO Says. He Plans to Fix It.
Stocks, Bonds Sell Off as Volatility Makes Return: Markets Wrap
JPMorgan’s Dimon Predicts 3.5-Day Work Week for Next Generation Thanks to AI
The announcement Wednesday confirms an earlier Bloomberg report, and follows Panay’s note to employees earlier this month announcing his surprise resignation from the company where he’d worked for nearly 20 years. He most recently was Microsoft’s chief product officer, overseeing Windows as well as the company’s hardware teams. Earlier, he was integral to the development of the Redmond, Washington company’s Surface computer line.
Panay will start at Amazon at the end of October, Chief Executive Officer Andy Jassy said in the statement. He’ll work with outgoing head of the division, Dave Limp, who told employees last month that he’d be retiring from the company before the end of the year. Limp announced earlier this week he’s joining Blue Origin, the closely held spaceflight company founded by Jeff Bezos.
At Seattle rival Amazon, Panay takes over the division responsible for the Alexa voice software and Echo smart speakers, Ring doorbells, Fire streaming sticks and tablets and Kindle e-readers, among other projects.
Amazon sells millions of mostly low-priced devices each year and Alexa is the leading home voice software, but the company hasn’t been able to translate that reach into a profitable business, analysts say.
Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek
With Banks Offering 5% Returns, Financial Advisers Fight Irrelevance
Hacking the Help Desk: How Attackers Talk Their Way Into Company Networks
Tech IPOs Could Burn Firms Who Bought Into Hot Startups Too Late
©2023 Bloomberg L.P.
