Jeff Bezos to step down as Amazon CEO after record-smashing 2020 ends with first $100-billion quarter

“When you look at our financial results, what you’re actually seeing are the long-run cumulative results of invention,” Bezos said in Tuesday’s announcement. “Right now I see Amazon at its most inventive ever, making it an optimal time for this transition.”

Bezos will remain as executive chair of the company when Jassy takes over. In his new role, Bezos said in a letter to employees that he intends ‘to focus my energies and attention on new products and early initiatives.”

“Being the CEO of Amazon is a deep responsibility, and it’s consuming. When you have a responsibility like that, it’s hard to put attention on anything else,” Bezos wrote. “As Exec Chair I will stay engaged in important Amazon initiatives but also have the time and energy I need to focus on the Day 1 Fund, the Bezos Earth Fund, Blue Origin, The Washington Post, and my other passions. I’ve never had more energy, and this isn’t about retiring.”

At the same time as Bezos’s announcement, Amazon reported fourth-quarter revenue of $125.6 billion Tuesday, trouncing its own forecast and analysts’ expectations. Profit hit a record for the third consecutive quarter, as the trope of Amazon not being a profitable company completely disappeared with a record annual earnings total of $21.3 billion, nearly double the $11.59 billion in 2019 profit.

Revenue for 2020 rose to $386.1 billion from $280.5 billion, as Amazon’s focus on online sales and rapid delivery as well as its Amazon Web Services cloud-computing offering found wider acceptance as COVID-19 forced consumers to stay home and businesses to support remote workers.

For the fourth quarter, Amazon reported earnings of $7.2 billion, or $14.09 a share, up from $6.47 a share in the holiday period a year before. Amazon’s revenue total increased 44% from the previous holiday period’s total of $87.44 billion. Analysts on average expected fourth-quarter earnings of $7.20 a share on sales of $119.72 billion, according to FactSet.

Quarters with more than $100 billion in sales are relatively rare for companies not named Walmart Inc. WMT, +1.08%, which has recorded more than $100 billion in quarterly revenue in every period since mid-2010. Tech’s $1-trillion-plus companies are getting there, however, with Apple Inc. AAPL, +0.63% posting its first $100-billion quarter in the same period as Amazon.

Amazon expects to continue putting up $100-billion quarters, guiding for first-quarter sales of $100 billion to $106 billion, up from $75.45 billion in the first quarter of 2019. It is worth noting that executives’ forecasts severely undershot the actual performance amid 2020’s rise — for example, Amazon guided for fourth-quarter sales of $112 billion to $121 billion.

While Amazon’s financial growth, especially in recent years, has led to huge growth in the company’s valuation and importance, Bezos focused on other initiatives in his letter to employees. While Bezos and Amazon have faced criticism for how employees are treated and the company’s effect on the world writ large, the outgoing CEO pointed to efforts he made on those issues.

“As Amazon became large, we decided to use our scale and scope to lead on important social issues. Two high-impact examples: our $15 minimum wage and the Climate Pledge,” he wrote. “In both cases, we staked out leadership positions and then asked others to come along with us. In both cases, it’s working. Other large companies are coming our way. I hope you’re proud of that as well.”

Amazon shares bounced between gains and losses of less than 1% in after-hours trading, after gaining 1.1% in the regular session Tuesday. The stock has gained 68.3% in the past 12 months, as the S&P 500 index SPX, +1.39% has gained 17%.