Amazon Reshuffles Alexa Leadership Following Premium Tablet Launch

Amazon has announced changes to the leadership of its Alexa division, a day after unveiling its first tablet computers featuring the company's voice assistant.

Daniel Rausch, who has served as Amazon's vice president of Alexa and Echo for more than three years, will step down from the division next month, the company confirmed on Friday.

Rausch, a 17-year veteran of Amazon, has been a prominent figure at the company's product launches and global events. He is expected to take on another role within Amazon's Devices and Services division in 2027.

He will be replaced by Aidan Marcuss, currently the vice president responsible for Fire TV, advertising and the Amazon Appstore. Marcuss joined Amazon from Microsoft in early 2025 and recently oversaw the launch of a new Fire TV Stick, which received mixed reviews.

Meanwhile, Kevin Keith, Amazon's vice president of product and marketing, will retain his current position while temporarily assuming Marcuss' responsibilities.

Amazon declined to provide further details about the leadership changes.

The reshuffle comes as the company continues efforts to strengthen its Alexa business, which has struggled to generate profits since the voice assistant was introduced in 2014.

Amazon has spent several years developing an upgraded version of Alexa powered by generative artificial intelligence. The new assistant, known as Alexa+, is designed to handle longer and more complex requests than its predecessor.

The technology features prominently in Amazon's newly announced tablets, marking a shift towards more expensive devices compared with the company's traditionally affordable Fire tablet lineup.

Amazon is positioning the new tablets as premium products, with Alexa+ serving as a key feature.

The upgraded assistant is available through Amazon's Prime membership, priced at $139 annually, or as a standalone service costing $20 per month.

The leadership changes highlight Amazon's efforts to improve Alexa's commercial performance and expand the role of artificial intelligence across its consumer devices and services.

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