Amazon's devices division faces 2nd high-profile exit this month
What's the story
Amazon's devices division has witnessed its second high-profile exit this month. Lindo St. Angel, the vice president of hardware for Lab126, will be leaving the company at the end of October. St. Angel has been with Amazon for 15 years and played a key role in developing some of its most popular gadgets like the Echo voice assistant speaker, Astro robot, and Fire tablet.
Departure details
Amazon confirms St. Angel's departure
Amazon confirmed St. Angel's impending departure after a Reuters inquiry, but didn't reveal any specifics about the circumstances of his exit. A company spokesperson said, "We are grateful for his many contributions to Amazon and wish him the best." This comes just weeks after Rob Williams, another high-ranking official in the devices division, also left his post.
Advisory position
Williams to continue till the end of this year
Williams, who was the vice president of device software and services, has left his post but will continue with Amazon till the end of this year in an advisory role. He will be working under devices chief Panos Panay. This comes as part of a larger restructuring effort within Amazon's devices and services unit, which has struggled with profitability for years.
Unit struggles
Devices and services unit has been struggling for years
The devices and services unit of Amazon has been struggling with profitability for years. The company is trying to turn things around by downsizing its product lineup and laying off employees. Earlier this year, it was reported that Amazon was revamping its Fire tablet computers with Android operating software for the first time, in a bid to make them more appealing to users.