Amazon Prime Chief Leaves For Airbnb

Amazon’s Vice President of Amazon Prime, Greg Greeley, is leaving the eCommerce giant after working for the company for 18 years.

According to news from TechCrunch, citing a LinkedIn post by Greeley on Monday (March 5) night, the former executive announced his departure and expressed gratitude to the employees he worked with during his years at Amazon. He said he originally joined the company because of a “heartfelt” letter from Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos, which was penned to shareholders back in 1997.

“That letter described a unique approach for a public company, and the vision it contained was even more powerful than I fully understood at the time,” Greeley wrote. “With a relentless focus on customers and eight clearly defined long-term principles, it has been the foundation for a phenomenal business,  and I truly believe, even now, it is still Day 1.”

The departure comes after Greeley’s focus was shifted somewhat to Whole Foods. It was later revealed that Greeley is joining Airbnb.

Under Greeley’s guidance, Amazon Prime has become a huge force in the company and in the world of retail. In January, the service announced that more than 5 billion items were shipped worldwide in 2017 through its Prime membership program. In a press release at the time, the company said more new paid members joined Prime around the globe in 2017 than in any other year.

“From Fire TV Stick and Echo Dot to Imagine Dragons, “Manchester by the Sea” and even the Instant Pot, Prime members certainly have great taste! Tens of millions of members around the world enjoy the many benefits included with Prime,” said Greeley at the time, highlighting the “Best of Prime 2017.”

According to Amazon, during 2017, the Fire TV Stick and Echo Dot were the bestselling products purchased by Prime members in the U.S. last year, considering every manufacturer in any category across all of Amazon.