Amazon just reshuffled its Alexa leadership
What's the story
Amazon has announced a major leadership reshuffle in its Alexa division. The move comes just a day after the company unveiled its first tablet computers with the voice assistant. Daniel Rausch, who has been with Amazon for 17 years and served as vice president of Alexa and Echo for over three years, will be leaving his position next month.
Career transition
Rausch takes on new role in devices and services division
Rausch, a familiar face for Alexa at events and global launches, will be returning to Amazon in a different capacity.
He will be taking on a new role within the devices and services division in 2027.
Meanwhile, Aidan Marcuss, who is currently vice president of Fire TV, advertising, and the Amazon appstore, will take over as head of Alexa's future.
Interim leadership
Keith to continue in his current role
Kevin Keith, currently serving as vice president of product and marketing, will continue in his role. However, he will also take on Marcuss's responsibilities for the time being.
The details of these changes are yet to be disclosed by Amazon.
Notably, Alexa has been a consistent money-loser for Amazon since its launch in 2014.
AI integration
Amazon bets big on generative AI version of Alexa
Amazon has invested heavily in a new version of its voice assistant, which uses generative AI to respond to longer prompts.
The service is now available on the new Alexa Tablets, which are priced as premium products compared to earlier affordable Fire tablets.
The latest version of the service, called Alexa+, comes with a $139-per-year Prime membership or can be subscribed separately for $20 per month.