Alexa Boss David Limp to Depart Amazon

Amazon’s devices chief is planning to exit the company.

David Limp, who oversees products like the company’s Alexa assistant, intends to retire in the coming months, the executive and Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announced Monday (Aug. 14).

“Dave has been an outstanding innovator, exhibited strong judgment and ownership, and built a strong organization with high standards,” Jassy said. “He has also been somebody whose counsel and insights I’ve valued immensely (both in my prior role and current one), and who has always prioritized what matters most for the company.”

Limp’s departure was first reported Monday by The Wall Street Journal. That report notes that Alexa and other gadgets, while in some cases popular, have struggled to generate revenue. Sources say that monetizing the company’s Echo line has been especially difficult.

Limp appeared to downplay this idea in his message to employees, saying he was not leaving “because I am less bullish about the devices and services business. I am amazed at the momentum of all our businesses. Engagement is at an all-time high, customer satisfaction is also at some of our highest levels ever.”

As for the reason he is leaving, Limp said, “It’s time.”

“I have been doing a version of this job (building and shipping consumer electronics) on and off for 30+ years. I love it, but I also want to look into the future through a different lens. I am not sure what that future is right now, with the notable exception that it won’t be in the consumer electronics space.”

The devices division has been one of the Amazon departments impacted by the job cuts the company has undertaken in the last year, which eliminated roughly 27,000 positions.

As noted here earlier this year, voice assistants like Alexa and Apple’s Siri have become familiar to consumers, though the conversation around them has changed with the advance of artificial intelligence (AI) large language models (LLMs).

“The simple fact,” PYMNTS wrote in June, “is that people like voice, and if anything, they believe it’s high time for the LLM upgrade as they would like to use voice in digital commerce as they have for millennia in other retail settings, from the bazaars of old to the eCommerce capabilities of the 21st century.”

Research by PYMNTS finds that more than 60% of consumers believe voice assistants will someday become as smart and as reliable as real people, with nearly half saying this day is less than five years ago. Many of them would be willing to pay for such a service.