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Three Amazon executive in charge of developing new technologies for checking out of forcible store – including Just Walk Out , Dash Carts , and Amazon One – are leave behind or have leave behind the variance , TechCrunch has learned . In summation , a former high - ranking advertising executive at Amazon , Colleen Aubrey , was latterly put in billing of Just Walk Out , one many responsibility in her newly assign character as senior VP of AWS solutions .
Dilip Kumar , the conscientious objector - creator of Amazon ’s cashier - loose Just Walk Out technology , who antecedently led the division , left the Just Walk Out squad in the spring . Kumar move to a VP role manage the company ’s AI chatbot for enterprise , Amazon Q , according to an Amazonpress releasethis workweek with the newfangled deed . Kumar reportedly joined the Q teamas early as May .
Sanjay Dash , the administrator in charge of personal identity and check-out procedure applied science , recite staff on Sept. 20 that he is bequeath for an unspecified role , concord to an internal memo learn by TechCrunch . He is still at Amazon today , but it ’s unclear if he is staying with the society or moving on .
The executive now in charge of the Just Walk Out team , Jon Jenkins , is also out . Jenkinsannouncedon LinkedIn last week that he left Amazon to become the chief technology officer of scooter - sharing troupe Lime .
Colleen Aubrey antecedently led Amazon ’s advertising team and is part of the company ’s “ S - team , ” which is what Amazon telephone the inner circle of senior phallus that advise CEO Andy Jassy . Now , she ’s a senior vice president in electric charge of AWS answer , and Just Walk Out will fall under her responsibility incite forward .
An Amazon spokesperson confirm the move , but noted that Kumar ’s appointment was not new . That enjoin , he had a dissimilar title less than six month ago . The spokesperson also notes that the company still has “ strong and deep leadership at Amazon , and in the Just Walk Out team . ”
The leaders exodus signal a transitional period for Amazon ’s checkout technologies . Amazon has reportedlyinvested billions into check-out procedure engineering . Its boldest and most expensive venture , Just Walk Out , uses AI system to process data from cameras and sensors . It charges shoppers for what they leave the fund with and , in theory , bump off the need for cashier . At one full stop , Amazon saw Just Walk Out as integral to its own push into brick - and - howitzer stores , reportedlyaiming to open yard of these cashierless memory board .
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However , Amazon pulled its Just take the air Out engineering science from its refreshful grocery stores , and from two Whole Foods entrepot that were using it , earlier this year . The company has alsorecently close three of its Go toilet facility storesthat apply Just Walk Out , and now has less than 20 countrywide . An Amazon interpreter sound out these latest store settlement occurred “ due to eminent rent ” in New York , and had nothing to do with Just Walk Out .
In recent years , Amazon has reorganized its physical stores technology division to focus on selling Just Walk Out to third company stores . However , several executive who have historically pass these movement are no longer work on the project .
Kumar was antecedently a “ tincture , ” almost like a head - of - staff , to Amazon ’s laminitis and former CEO , Jeff Bezos . Just six months ago , Kumar seemed to be leading the checkout engineering partitioning , stomping out a disceptation around its Just Walk Out technology bank on human being abroad . The executive wroteblog postsandgave interviewsin April , under his previous title , suggesting that the demise of Just Walk Out was portentous .
In the last year , several executive and teams have been switch to focus on Amazon ’s AI feat , accord to one current and one former employee intimate with the situation . ( These employee requested namelessness to discourse confidential home moves . ) Kumar seems to be one of them . It ’s something we ’ve seen across Big Tech . sooner this yr , Applepulled the quid on its billion clam car project , which it spent 10 years develop , to focus on AI .
In the month since Kumar ’s deviation to Q , another executive director who antecedently reported to him took on more responsibility : VP of identity and checkout technology , Sanjay Dash . Dash has overseen the physical stores engineering team since 2019 , according to hisLinkedIn . Business Insider report in 2022 thatKumar antecedently bring Dash and another executive director over to AWSfrom Amazon ’s physical memory board squad , part of a reorganization to focalize on getting Just Walk Out and other technologies into more third political party stores .
However , Dash told staff in September that he would be pace down from leading the troupe ’s checkout time engineering science division , according to an intragroup memoranda obtained by TechCrunch . It ’s unclear whether Dash will be staying at Amazon in the tenacious terminus , or why he leave the division altogether .
Jenkins , on the other hand , has bear witness that Just Walk Out administrator can land jobs in high place , such as Lime ’s c - suite . According to his LinkedIn profile , Jenkins led the Just take the air Out squad since 2022 , and two former Just Walk Out employees refer to him as the primary leader of the team , noting that Jenkins cover to executive director such as Dash .
Some checkout engineering have found proportional success under Jenkins , Dash , and Kumar ’s leadership . Last year , Amazon announced in ablog postthat Amazon rolled out its palm recognition payment serve , Amazon One , to more than 500 Whole Foods stores . Amazon also continue to use Dash Carts , which let shoppers checkout as they shop , at dozens of its Fresh food market stores .
The third - party venture has also seen moderate success . An Amazon spokesperson tells TechCrunch it will open more third party Just take the air Out storehouse in 2024 than any twelvemonth prior , and currently has more than 200 location using Just Walk Out .
chastisement : A premature version of this story conflated the terminus “ S - team ” and “ dark . ” They are distinct term Amazon uses to name executives . Aubrey is an “ mho - squad ” member for Andy Jassy . Kumar was a “ trace ” to Jeff Bezos .
