Amazon’s consumer CEO Jeff Wilke to retire early next year

Amazon.com Inc said its longtime executive and consumer chief Jeff Wilke plans to retire after more than two decades with the company, a decision that appeared to take him out of line to succeed CEO and founder Jeff Bezos.
Dave Clark, 47, another Amazon veteran who has run the retailer’s supply chain and delivery operations, will step into Wilke’s role, the company said in a filing. Wilke aims to retire in the first quarter of next year to explore personal interests, he said in a note to staff that was shared with Reuters.
Wilke, 53, is Amazon’s second-highest ranking officer along with Andy Jassy, who is chief executive of the company’s cloud computing division. That made Wilke a contender to take over the top job from Bezos, 56, if he were to leave. Amazon declined to comment on succession plans.