The Amazon team that runs Just Walk Out is losing three executives, gaining one

Three Amazon executives in charge of the development of new technology to check out in physical stores — including Just Walk Out, Dash Carts, and Amazon One — are leaving or leaving the division, TechCrunch has learned. In addition, Amazon’s former chief marketing officer, Colleen Aubrey, was recently appointed to lead Just Walk Out, adding more responsibilities to her new role as senior VP of AWS solutions.

Dilip Kumar, co-founder of Amazon’s nonprofit Just Walk Out technology, who once led the division, left the Just Walk Out team in the spring. Kumar has moved up to the position of VP overseeing the company’s AI chatbot for business, Amazon Q, according to an Amazon report this week with a new title. Kumar reportedly joined the Q team in early May.

Sanjay Dash, chief executive of identity and payments technology, told employees on September 20 that he was leaving to take an unspecified role, according to an internal memo seen by TechCrunch. He’s still at Amazon today, but it’s unclear whether he’s staying with the company or moving on.

The chief executive of Just Walk Out, Jon Jenkins, is also out. Jenkins announced on LinkedIn last week that he was leaving Amazon to become chief technology officer at the ride-sharing company Lime.

Colleen Aubrey previously led Amazon’s marketing team and is part of the company’s “S-team,” which Amazon calls the inner circle of senior members who advise CEO Andy Jassy. Now, he is the senior vice president in charge of AWS solutions, and Just Walk Out will be under his responsibility moving forward.

An Amazon spokesperson confirmed the move, but noted that Kumar’s appointment was not new. It has been said that he has had a different title for the past six months. The spokesperson also notes that the company “still has strong and deep leadership at Amazon, and on the Just Walk Out team.”

The leadership exit marks a time of change for Amazon’s payment technology. Amazon is said to have invested billions in payment technology. Its boldest and most expensive venture, Just Walk Out, uses AI systems to process data from cameras and sensors. It charges shoppers for what they take away from the store and, in theory, eliminates the need for cashiers. At one point, Amazon saw Just Walk Out as part of its campaign in brick-and-mortar stores, reportedly aiming to open thousands of these cashless stores.

However, Amazon rolled out its Just Walk Out technology to its Fresh Foods stores, and to the two Whole Foods stores that used it, earlier this year. The company recently closed three of its Go stores that use Just Walk Out, and there are now fewer than 20 across the country. An Amazon spokesperson says the latest store closures are “due to high rents” in New York, and have nothing to do with Just Walk Out.

In recent years, Amazon has restructured its retail technology division to focus on selling Just Walk Out to third-party stores. However, several managers who have historically led these efforts are no longer active in this field.

Kumar was previously a “shadow,” almost like a chief of staff, to Amazon founder and former CEO, Jeff Bezos. For the past six months, Kumar has been seen leading the checkout technology division, ending the controversy with its Just Walk Out technology that relies on people from overseas. The official wrote blog posts and gave interviews in April, under his previous title, suggesting that the death of Just Walk Out was overblown.

In the past year, several managers and teams have been reshuffled to focus on Amazon’s AI efforts, according to a current and former employee familiar with the situation. (These employees asked to remain anonymous to discuss secret internal moves.) Kumar appears to be one of them. It’s something we’ve seen all over Big Tech. Earlier this year, Apple pulled the plug on its billion-dollar automotive project, which had spent 10 years in development, to focus on AI.

In the months since Kumar’s move to Q, another executive who previously reported to him took on additional responsibility: VP of identity and payment technology, Sanjay Dash. Dash has led the retail technology team since 2019, according to his LinkedIn. Business Insider reported in 2022 that Kumar previously brought Dash and another senior executive to AWS from Amazon’s retail group, part of a reorganization to focus on getting Just Walk Out and other technologies into more third-party stores.

However, 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 not clear if Dash will stay at Amazon in the long run, or why it left the division altogether.

Jenkins, on the other hand, pointed out that Just Walk Out executives can get jobs in high places, like Lime’s c-suite. According to his LinkedIn profile, Jenkins has led the Just Walk Out team since 2022, and two Just Walk Out employees refer to him as the team’s primary leader, noting that Jenkins reported to executives like Dash.

Other payment technologies have achieved relative success under the leadership of Jenkins, Dash, and Kumar. Last year, Amazon announced in a blog post that Amazon launched its palm-recognition payment service, Amazon One, at more than 500 Whole Foods stores. Amazon also continues to use Dash Carts, which allow shoppers to check out when shopping, at many of its grocery stores.

The third party business has seen moderate success. An Amazon spokesperson told TechCrunch that it will open more Just Walk Out stores in 2024 than in any previous year, and currently has more than 200 locations using Just Walk Out.

Correction: A previous version of this story mixed up the words “S-team” and “shadow.” There are different terms that Amazon uses to describe managers. Aubrey is a member of Andy Jassy’s “S-team”. Kumar was a “shadow” to Jeff Bezos.