Reports of David Limp’s retirement have been greatly exaggerated. The former senior vice president of Devices and Services announced last week at Amazon’s 2023 Devices Event that he would be leaving the role he had held for more than a decade. However, on Monday, Jeff Bezos had reportedly tapped Limp to replace current Blue Origin CEO Bob Smith, who is retiring in early December.
MSNBC reports that Smith will stay until January 2, 2024 to help with the transition. Bezos sent the following announcement to the Blue Origin workforce on Monday:
I am pleased to share that Dave Limp will be joining Blue effective December 4th as CEO, replacing Bob who decided to step down on January 2nd. The overlay is intended to ensure a smooth transition.
Before providing some background on Dave, I would like to take the time to recognize Bob and the significant growth and transformation we have experienced during his tenure. Under Bob’s leadership, Blue has grown to several billion dollars in sales orders, with a significant backlog for our vehicles and engines. Our team has grown from 850 people when Bob joined to over 10,000 today. We have expanded from an office in Kent to building a launch pad on LC-36 and five million square feet of facilities in seven states.
Our mission has also grown: we have taken 31 people above the Kármán Line, almost five percent of all people who have been in space. Flight-worthy BE-4 engines are ready to launch Vulcan into orbit. New Glenn is about to launch next year, and with our recent contract with NASA, we will take Americans back to the Moon, this time to stay. We have also engaged and inspired millions of children and educators through our Club for the Future efforts. We have made enormous progress in building a path to space for the benefit of Earth, thanks to each of you and Bob’s leadership.
I have worked closely with Dave for many years. He is the right leader at the right time for Blue. Dave joins us after nearly 14 years at Amazon, where he most recently served as Senior Vice President of Amazon Devices and Services, leading Kuiper, Kindle, Alexa, Zoox and many other companies. Prior to Amazon, Dave held positions at other high-tech companies, including Palm and Apple. Dave is a proven innovator with a customer-first mindset and extensive experience leading and scaling large, complex organizations. Dave has an extraordinary sense of urgency, brings energy to everything and helps teams move very quickly.
Please join me in welcoming Dave and thanking Bob. Through this transition, I know we will remain focused on our customer commitments, production schedules and execution with speed and operational excellence. I look forward to the many historic and exciting milestones ahead!
MSNBC got a welcome from Limp too:
It’s been about six years since I joined Blue Origin. During that time, our team, facilities and sales orders have grown dramatically and we have made significant contributions to the history of space flight.
With pride and satisfaction in all we have achieved, I announce that effective December 4, I will step down as CEO of Blue Origin. I will remain at Blue until January 2 to ensure a smooth transition with the new CEO.
It has been a privilege for me to be part of this great team and I am sure that Blue Origin’s greatest achievements are still ahead. We have rapidly expanded this company from its research and prototyping roots to a large, prominent space business. We have the right strategy. an extremely talented team, a strong client base and some of the most technically ambitious and exciting projects in the entire industry. We also have a team that cares deeply about its mission, its legacy, and how we contribute to the next generation and lead everyone to a better future.
Jeff and I have been discussing my plan for months, and Jeff will soon announce Blue’s new CEO in a separate note. I am very excited about the operational excellence and culture of innovation that this new leader will bring to Blue. building on the foundation we have created in recent years.
I am committed to ensuring this transition is seamless and everyone should know that I will always be on the Blue Team.
Amazon has not officially named its successor to Limp, although Microsoft product chief Panos Panay, who also left the role he held for two decades last week, is rumored to be a top choice for that role.
