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Amazon’s devices division — the team behind its Echo speakers, Fire tablets, and Alexa voice assistant — is seeing more leadership changes. Lindo St. Angel, Vice President of
Amazon’s devices division — the team behind its Echo speakers, Fire tablets, and Alexa voice assistant — is seeing more leadership changes. Lindo St. Angel, Vice President of Hardware for Lab126, is set to leave the company at the end of October, marking the second high-level exit in the division this month, the company confirmed following a Reuters inquiry.
St. Angel, a 15-year Amazon veteran, played a key role in developing some of the company’s most recognizable consumer products, including the Echo smart speaker, Astro home robot, and Fire tablets.
According to Amazon, his last day will be October 31. The company did not share details about his next move or the reasons behind his departure.
“We are grateful for his many contributions to Amazon and wish him the best,”
an Amazon spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
Reuters noted that St. Angel did not respond to a request for comment, and the circumstances of his exit remain unclear.
St. Angel’s exit follows the recent departure of Rob Williams, Amazon’s Vice President of Device Software and Services. Williams, a long-time company insider and part of an elite internal group advising CEO Andy Jassy, announced his decision to leave earlier this month.
Williams will, however, remain at Amazon through the end of the year in an advisory role to Panos Panay, the company’s new Devices and Services Chief.
These back-to-back departures suggest a significant period of transition within Amazon’s devices and hardware division.
Lab126, headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, is Amazon’s hardware research and development arm, responsible for designing and engineering many of its iconic products.
Under St. Angel’s leadership, Lab126 oversaw innovations like:
His departure comes at a time when Amazon is redefining its hardware strategy, focusing on AI integration, cost efficiency, and fewer, more profitable devices.
Amazon’s Devices and Services unit has struggled for years to achieve profitability. Despite the popularity of products like the Echo and Fire TV, many devices have been loss leaders, designed to drive ecosystem engagement rather than revenue.
Facing mounting pressure to improve margins, Amazon initiated significant layoffs and reduced product lines over the past year. The leadership changes appear to be part of CEO Andy Jassy’s broader effort to streamline the business and sharpen its focus on next-generation technologies.
One of the division’s biggest challenges has been the slow and uncertain rollout of Alexa’s generative AI update — a project meant to reposition the voice assistant as a more conversational, intelligent product in the age of ChatGPT and Google Gemini.
While Amazon unveiled an Alexa AI overhaul during its September product event, early reports suggest that the technology remains in limited testing with no clear monetization path yet.
The delay has raised concerns internally about Amazon’s ability to compete with AI-first ecosystems from Google and Apple.
Just weeks before St. Angel’s resignation, Amazon showcased a new lineup of devices in New York, including:
Despite the fresh hardware announcements, analysts point out that Amazon’s device margins remain thin, and consumer adoption of experimental products like Astro has been limited.
St. Angel’s departure adds another layer of uncertainty as the company navigates product innovation and profitability goals simultaneously.
The recent changes follow the appointment of Panos Panay, former Microsoft Surface Chief, as the Head of Amazon Devices and Services. Panay took over after Dave Limp’s exit, bringing with him extensive experience in hardware design and ecosystem development.
Panay’s arrival is widely viewed as a strategic reboot for Amazon’s hardware business, aimed at injecting fresh creative direction and product discipline into the division.
However, such transitions often bring organizational reshuffles, which could explain the recent senior-level departures.
Despite the leadership churn, Amazon’s stock closed 1.1% higher at $220.36 on Thursday, reflecting investor confidence in the company’s broader AI and cloud strategy rather than its hardware unit alone.
Wall Street analysts note that Amazon’s core revenue drivers remain AWS (Amazon Web Services) and its advertising business, while the hardware segment continues to serve as an ecosystem enabler.
Amazon’s current phase mirrors that of other tech giants navigating AI transformation and product consolidation.
With the company investing heavily in AI infrastructure, cloud computing, and advertising innovation, the devices division faces the challenge of proving its strategic relevance beyond serving as an Alexa delivery mechanism.
The success or failure of the next-generation Alexa AI — alongside the integration of devices into Amazon’s broader ecosystem — will determine how pivotal the Lab126 team remains in Amazon’s future.
Lindo St. Angel’s 15-year tenure represents a key chapter in Amazon’s hardware history. From the early Kindle e-readers that reshaped publishing to the Echo speakers that redefined voice-based computing, his leadership contributed to Amazon’s rise as a global hardware innovator.
His exit, however, underscores how even long-serving executives are reassessing their paths amid a shifting technological and economic landscape.
The departure of Lindo St. Angel, following Rob Williams, signals a turning point for Amazon’s devices division. With Panos Panay at the helm and the company recalibrating its hardware and AI priorities, the coming months will be critical for redefining Amazon’s role in the consumer tech ecosystem.
While uncertainty looms over the pace of AI integration and profitability, one thing is clear: Amazon’s hardware journey is evolving — and leadership shifts like this mark the beginning of a new era for Lab126 and the devices unit.
Stock Watch:
📈 Amazon (AMZN) – Up 1.1% to $220.36 on Thursday.
