Bezos officially steps down as CEO, two weeks ahead of his launch into space

Billionaire and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos officially stepped down Monday from his post as company CEO – two weeks before he launches into space with his own exploration company.

Bezos will be replaced by Andy Jassy, who has run Amazon’s cloud-computing business, in a change the company announced in February.

Still, Bezos remains Amazon’s biggest shareholder, with a stake worth about $180 billion, and will continue to be a key figure in the company he started in his Seattle garage in 1995, according to the Associated Press.  

Bezos takes over the role of executive chairman, with plans to focus on new products and initiatives.

The 57-year-old Bezos will blast into space July 20 when Blue Origin makes its first flight with a crew, bringing along his younger brother, Mark, an investor and volunteer firefighter, the wire service also reports.