Breakthrough innovation

Search documents
Amazon taps Xbox co-founder to lead new team developing 'breakthrough' consumer products
CNBC· 2025-05-29 17:01
Core Insights - Amazon is establishing a new team called ZeroOne, focused on developing breakthrough consumer products, led by J Allard, a former Microsoft executive known for his role in creating the Xbox [1][3][4] - The ZeroOne team is distributed across Seattle, San Francisco, and Sunnyvale, California, and aims to innovate from concept to market, reflecting a "zero to one" philosophy [2][5] - Despite the formation of ZeroOne, Amazon is simultaneously scaling back other areas within its devices and services division, including layoffs affecting around 100 employees [6][7][8] Group 1: Team Structure and Leadership - The ZeroOne team is led by J Allard, who has a significant background in consumer technology from his time at Microsoft [3][4] - The team includes members with experience from various Amazon projects, such as Alexa and Luna, indicating a focus on innovative technology development [5] Group 2: Product Development Focus - Job postings indicate that ZeroOne is working on projects involving computer vision techniques for smart-home products, emphasizing a commitment to design thinking and rapid experimentation [5] - The team is tasked with creating entirely new product categories, suggesting a strategic shift towards more innovative consumer electronics [5] Group 3: Organizational Changes - Amazon has laid off about 100 employees from its devices and services division, including those working on Alexa and Amazon Kids, indicating a restructuring within the organization [6][7] - The layoffs represent a small fraction of the overall devices and services workforce, which consists of tens of thousands of employees [8]