Three Amazon executives who develop new technologies for physical store checkouts, including Just Walk Out, Dash Carts and Amazon One, have left or left the department, TechCrunch has learned. Additionally, Colleen Aubrey, a former senior advertising executive at Amazon, recently took on Just Walk Out, one of the many responsibilities in her newly appointed role as Senior Vice President of AWS Solutions.
Dilip Kumar, co-creator of Amazon’s cashier-free Just Walk Out technology who previously led the division, left the Just Walk Out team last spring. According to an Amazon press release this week, Kumar has moved into a VP role overseeing Amazon Q, the company’s enterprise AI chatbot. Kumar is said to have joined the Q team as early as May.
Sanjay Dash, an executive in charge of identity verification and checkout technology, told employees on September 20 that he was leaving for an unspecified role, according to an internal memo seen by TechCrunch. He’s still at Amazon now, but it’s unclear whether he’ll stay with the company or move on.
Jon Jenkins, a direct executive of the Just Walk Out team, was also out. Jenkins announced last week on LinkedIn that he was leaving Amazon to become chief technology officer at scooter-sharing company Lime.
Colleen Aubrey is Amazon CEO Andy Jassy’s ‘shadow’ and previously led Amazon’s advertising team. “Shadows” or “S-team” members are what Amazon calls the company’s CEO’s highly coveted inner circle, similar to a chief of staff. She is now Senior Vice President of AWS Solutions, and her responsibility will be Just Walk Out.
An Amazon spokesperson confirmed the move but pointed out that Kumar’s appointment is not new. That means he had a different title just six months ago. The spokesperson also noted that the company still has “strong, deep leadership across the Amazon and Just Walk Out teams.”
The leadership departure marks a turning point for Amazon’s payment technology. Amazon has reportedly invested billions of dollars in payments technology. The boldest and most expensive venture, Just Walk Out, uses AI systems to process data from cameras and sensors. Shoppers are charged as they leave the store and, theoretically, there is no need for a cashier. At some point, Amazon reportedly viewed Just Walk Out as an essential part of its push into brick-and-mortar stores, with the goal of opening thousands of cashier-less stores.
But Amazon withdrew its Just Walk Out technology earlier this year from Fresh grocery stores and two Whole Foods stores that used the technology. The company also recently closed three Go convenience stores using Just Walk Out and currently operates fewer than 20 stores nationwide. An Amazon spokesperson said the store closures were “due to high rents” in New York and had nothing to do with Just Walk Out.
In recent years, Amazon has revamped its physical store technology division to focus on selling Just Walk Out to third-party stores. However, several executives who have historically led the effort are no longer involved in the project.
Kumar previously “shadowed” Amazon founder and former CEO Jeff Bezos. Just six months ago, Kumar seemed to be leading the checkout technology sector by quelling the controversy over Just Walk Out technology that relies on overseas manpower. The executive wrote a blog post and gave an interview last April under his former title, suggesting that Just Walk Out’s demise had been exaggerated.
Over the past year, several executives and teams have shifted to focus on Amazon’s AI efforts, according to current and former employees with knowledge of the situation. (These employees requested anonymity to discuss confidential internal movements.) Kumar appears to be one of them. This is what we see across Big Tech. Earlier this year, Apple halted a $1 billion automotive project that had been in development for a decade to focus on AI.
A few months after Kumar left for Q, another executive who had previously reported to him took on more responsibility. This is Sanjay Dash, Vice President of Identity and Checkout Technologies. According to LinkedIn, Dash has overseen the brick-and-mortar store technology team since 2019. Business Insider reported that in 2022, Kumar previously brought Dash and other executives to AWS from Amazon’s physical stores team as part of a reorganization to focus on bringing Just Walk Out and other technologies to more third-party stores. .
But Dash told employees in September that he would step down as head of the company’s checkout technology division, according to an internal memo obtained by TechCrunch. It’s unclear whether Dash will remain with Amazon in the long term, or why he left Amazon entirely.
Jenkins, on the other hand, has shown that Just Walk Out executives can land jobs in high positions, such as Lime’s top executives. According to his LinkedIn profile, Jenkins has led the Just Walk Out team since 2022, and two former Just Walk Out employees cited him as a key leader on the team, with Jenkins reporting to executives including Dash. One point was pointed out.
Some payment technologies have achieved relative success under Jenkins, Dash, and Kumar’s leadership. Last year, Amazon announced in a blog post that it had launched Amazon One, its palm-recognition payment service, in more than 500 Whole Foods stores. Amazon is also continuing to use Dash Carts, which allow shoppers to pay as they shop, at dozens of Fresh grocery stores.
Third-party ventures have also met with moderate success. An Amazon spokesperson told TechCrunch that the company will open more third-party Just Walk Out stores in 2024 than in previous years, with more than 200 stores currently using Just Walk Out.
