AWS CEO Shift: Matt Garman to Replace Selipsky at the Helm

In a leadership transition at one of the world’s largest tech companies, Amazon has announced the departure of CEO Adam Selipsky from its Amazon Web Services (AWS) division, with Matt Garman set to succeed him. Selipsky, who led AWS for over three years, leaves a legacy of achievements and growth. Under his stewardship, AWS navigated the challenges of the pandemic while achieving major milestones for the company.

In a letter to Amazon employees issued last week, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy noted, “Adam leaves AWS in a strong position, having reached a $100 billion annual revenue run rate this past quarter, with YoY revenue accelerating again. 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.”

During his tenure, Selipsky oversaw AWS through multiple rounds of layoffs, including eliminating hundreds of jobs in its sales, marketing, and store tech areas. In 2023, AWS was one of the hardest-hit divisions when Amazon cut over 20,000 jobs.

Matt Garman’s transition from intern to CEO

A seasoned veteran of Amazon with 18 years of experience, Matt Garman steps into his new role at the helm on June 3. Garman’s journey within Amazon began in 2005 when he joined as an MBA intern before becoming a full-time employee in 2006. Throughout his tenure, he played major roles that demonstrated keen problem-solving prowess and a strong customer focus.

“Matt has an unusually strong set of skills and experiences for his new role. He’s very customer focused, a terrific product leader, inventive, a clever problem-solver, right a lot, has high standards and meaningful bias for action, and in the 18 years he’s been in AWS, he’s been one of the better learners I’ve encountered,” Jassy wrote. He added, “Matt knows our customers and business as well as anybody in the world, and has senior leadership experience on both the product and demand generation sides. I’m excited to see Matt and his outstanding AWS leadership team continue to invent our future—it’s still such early days in AWS.”

Garman’s vision for the future

Garman and his leadership team will focus on charting the company’s future. With plans for organizational changes and direct employee engagement, he aims to foster a culture of collaboration within the company through town halls and personal interaction with employees.

“I am more optimistic than I have ever been for the potential for innovation and growth ahead of us, and I look forward to helping us move faster, invent more, and operate as one team to help our customers,” Garman expressed.

Impact on the channel

With Matt Garman at the helm, solution providers can expect a continued emphasis on customer-centricity and innovation within AWS. Garman’s track record of understanding customer needs and driving product innovation bodes well for AWS partners as it develops new initiatives and programs to enhance its capabilities and better serve its clients.

Currently, AWS holds the largest share of the US cloud market but faces increasing pressure from Microsoft’s rapidly expanding Azure service. As the industry evolves and Garman takes over the reins, AWS will show whether it can withstand the mounting pressure from Azure and retain its dominant position.

The leadership transition at AWS is in line with broader industry movements, like those being made by VDURA’s new CEO, appointed last September. Read about VDURA’s new focus and how it promises to create greater value for channel partners and resellers.