REUTERS/ Mike Blake
- Amazon’s consumer boss, Jeff Wilke, is retiring with as much as $158 million in Amazon stock.
- According to an SEC filing, Wilke has 48,858 shares as of December 30, 2020.
- Wilke, who was Jeff Bezos’ second-in-command, said last year that he would step down in Q1 2021.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Amazon’s consumer boss, Jeff Wilke, is leaving the company before the end of the first quarter, and he’ll retire with roughly $158 million in Amazon shares.
According to a filing this month with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Wilke, who served as CEO of worldwide consumer and was CEO Jeff Bezos’ second-in-command, has received a gift of Amazon shares that brings his total to 48,858.377 as of December 30. Many are owned indirectly through a trust and retirement account.
Amazon shares opened at $3,230 on Friday, meaning Wilke’s stock is worth approximately $157.8 million.
Puget Sound Business Journal was the first to spot the filing.
Wilke, who has been at Amazon for 22 years, announced in August that he would step down in the first quarter of 2021. Wilke has long been considered the second-most-important person at Amazon, overseeing the company’s global consumer retail business, which includes Prime, the Amazon marketplace, and Whole Foods.
Wilke, along with Amazon Web Services CEO Andy Jassy, reported directly to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and was part of his elite "S-team."
"I don't have a new job, and am as happy with and proud of Amazon as ever," Wilke said in an email to employees at the time. "I treasure the deep relationships we forged as we grew this company. From Jeff Bezos and my S-team colleagues to the hundreds and hundreds of leaders throughout Amazon who apply our Leadership Principles every single day. We worked hard. And we had a blast. So why leave? It's just time."
In an email to employees in August, Bezos described Wilke as his "tutor" and an "incredible teacher" to everyone at Amazon.
"And there's this important point: in tough moments and good ones, he's been just plain fun to work with," Bezos wrote. "Never underestimate the importance of that. It makes a difference."
Wilke will be replaced by Dave Clark, Amazon's senior vice president of worldwide operations. Clark, who has been at Amazon since 1999, leads the company's logistics business.
Amazon employees told Business Insider's Rachel Premack last year that Clark is a visionary leader who has garnered loyal support within Amazon's ranks. While some said he could set irrationally high standards, others praised his leadership during the coronavirus crisis.