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Amazon's Top Consumer Executive, Dave Clark, to Step Down

Clark, the CEO of worldwide consumer at Amazon, will resign effective July 1.

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Carrie Mihalcik
Laura Hautala
2 min read
Amazon

A key Amazon executive is leaving the company. 

 Sarah Tew/CNET

Amazon on Friday said its CEO of worldwide consumer, Dave Clark, is resigning from the online retail giant. Clark, a top executive under Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, will step down on July 1, the e-tailer said in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. 

In a message posted to Twitter, Clark spoke highly of his 23 years at Amazon but said he's moving on. "I've had an incredible time at Amazon but it's time for me to build again. It's what drives me," Clark tweeted on Friday. "To all I've had the honor of working with: thank you for making it so much fun to come to work every day for 23 years to invent cool, amazing things for customers."

Worldwide consumer operations is one of Amazon's biggest businesses, with warehouses and delivery networks across the globe. Clark, who joined Amazon in 1999, took over the role of CEO of worldwide consumer when Jeff Wilke retired in 2021. Clark was previously the head of operations and oversaw global supply chain, delivery, customer services, physical stores, marketing and Prime. 

Amazon faces turbulence in the e-commerce business that Clark helped mold. The company built up its operations substantially during the pandemic. But Amazon may have overshot demand, with shoppers buying less in the first three months of 2022. The cost of moving goods around between the company's many warehouses to deliver on promises of fast delivery has also raised the company's operating expenses, and Amazon added a fuel surcharge to the fees third-party sellers pay in the Fulfillment by Amazon program.

Clark moved from his home near Seattle to Dallas in 2021, before a capital gains tax was set to take effect in Washington state. He didn't provide specifics on Friday about his plans for the future.

Amazon expects to have an update in the next few weeks on who might take over the the position, said Jassy in a message to employees. "We're trying to be thoughtful in our plans for Dave's succession and any changes we make," he added. 

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