Amazon confirmed St. Angel’s exit in response to a Reuters inquiry, noting that his last day will be October 31. “We are grateful for his many contributions to Amazon and wish him the best,” a company spokesperson said in an emailed statement. The circumstances surrounding his decision to leave were not disclosed, and St. Angel did not respond to requests for comment.
St. Angel has spent 15 years with Amazon, playing a central role in developing some of the company’s most recognizable products, including the Echo smart speakers, the Fire tablet, and the Astro home robot. His departure follows that of Rob Williams, Amazon’s vice president of device software and services, who also left his post earlier in October. Williams, a member of the internal group advising CEO Andy Jassy, will stay on in an advisory capacity through the end of the year, supporting devices chief Panos Panay.
The twin exits come as Amazon’s devices and services division undergoes a significant transformation after years of unprofitability. The unit has faced layoffs, product cutbacks, and an ongoing effort to sharpen its focus. Earlier this year, Reuters reported that Amazon was preparing to overhaul its Fire tablet lineup to run on Android software for the first time—an attempt to make the devices more broadly appealing to consumers.
At the same time, the company’s ambitious project to integrate generative artificial intelligence into its Alexa voice assistant has rolled out more slowly than anticipated, with analysts noting an unclear path to profitability.
Less than a month ago, Amazon showcased a refreshed lineup of devices at an event in New York, unveiling new Echo speakers, Fire TV streaming products, Kindle readers, and Ring cameras. Despite the leadership shake-up, the company continues to project confidence in the future of its hardware ecosystem.
Amazon’s shares rose 1.1% on Thursday to close at $220.36.