Tech Titans on the Move: Amazon’s Satellite VP Retires, AI Builders Jump Ship, and More Executive Shakeups

The tech industry’s executive ranks are experiencing a seismic shift as seasoned leaders transition into new roles, launch ventures, and pursue personal passions. From Amazon’s satellite ambitions to AI’s brightest minds making bold career moves, here’s what’s happening in the upper echelons of tech leadership.

Steve Rabuchin Exits Amazon After Two Decades to Pursue Health, Golf, and a Mystery Venture

After more than 20 years shaping some of Amazon’s most influential products and services, Steve Rabuchin has officially retired from his role as vice president of Project Kuiper, Amazon’s ambitious satellite internet initiative recently rebranded as Amazon Leo.

Rabuchin’s Amazon journey reads like a masterclass in tech leadership evolution. He served as general manager for Kindle during its explosive growth phase, built the Amazon Appstore from the ground up, led the Alexa division through its voice assistant revolution, and spent time in AWS leadership roles. His fingerprints are all over Amazon’s consumer and enterprise technology ecosystem.

In a candid LinkedIn post announcing his departure, Rabuchin made clear this wasn’t another casualty of Amazon’s recent 16,000-job layoff announcement. “After planning my exit from Amazon for a while, I’m excited to share that I’ve retired,” he wrote, signaling a well-planned transition rather than an abrupt exit.

So what’s next for the veteran tech executive? Rabuchin is diving headfirst into what he calls “the three Fs”: fitness, family, and—most intriguingly—a new venture he’s keeping tightly under wraps. “I am going to spend a significant amount of my time working on my fitness, health and longevity — which will definitely include golf + pickleball + family time!” he shared. “I also have plans for a new venture but will save those details for later.”

The move raises eyebrows in tech circles, as Rabuchin’s satellite internet expertise could prove invaluable as Amazon Leo competes with SpaceX’s Starlink in the race to provide global broadband coverage. Industry watchers are already speculating about what kind of venture might lure away someone with his unique combination of consumer tech, cloud computing, and space infrastructure experience.

Jon Turow Jumps from VC to AI Builder at Anthropic

In a move that underscores the AI industry’s insatiable appetite for experienced talent, Jon Turow has left his partner position at Madrona Venture Group to join Anthropic as a “builder” on the technical staff.

After four years as a venture capitalist investing in promising startups, Turow is trading his investor hat for an operator’s toolkit. “After four years as a VC investor at Madrona, I’ve decided to jump back onto the field,” he announced on LinkedIn. “I’m incredibly grateful to the founders I was honored to support and to the Madrona team — I learned so much from both.”

Turow’s background makes him a fascinating addition to Anthropic’s technical ranks. His nearly decade-long tenure at Amazon Web Services included leadership roles as head of product for computer vision and technical lead for Greengrass, which extends AWS functionality to edge devices. This combination of cloud infrastructure expertise and product development experience positions him uniquely to contribute to Anthropic’s mission of building safe and beneficial AI systems.

Perhaps most tellingly, Turow will maintain his venture partner role at Madrona, suggesting he’s not entirely leaving the investment world behind. This dual-track approach—operating at an AI pioneer while maintaining VC connections—could prove strategically valuable as Anthropic continues its rapid growth and fundraising efforts.

Meta Reality Labs Loses Research Leader in Latest Round of Cuts

Hrvoje Benko, former director of research science at Meta Reality Labs Research, was among the 331 Washington state employees let go in Meta’s latest round of layoffs affecting its virtual and augmented reality division.

Benko’s eight-year tenure at Meta was marked by groundbreaking work at the intersection of AI and human-computer interaction. In his farewell LinkedIn post, he reflected on building “an amazing AI and HCI research effort from scratch,” seeing it grow to accomplish significant milestones, and developing “many generations of innovative XR and AI wearables.”

The Croatian-born researcher’s career spans both academia and industry. Before Meta, he spent over a decade at Microsoft as a principal researcher, establishing himself as a thought leader in interactive computing. He continues his affiliation with the University of Washington as an affiliate professor, suggesting his research journey is far from over despite the corporate setback.

Benko’s departure highlights the ongoing challenges facing Meta’s Reality Labs division as the company navigates massive investments in the metaverse while facing pressure to deliver near-term returns. His expertise in AI-driven human-computer interfaces will likely be in high demand as other companies continue pushing the boundaries of immersive technology.

Convera Strengthens Commercial Leadership with Google Cloud Veteran

Global payments fintech Convera has appointed Meaghan Riley as its new chief commercial officer, poaching her from Google Cloud North America where she served as chief operating officer.

Riley brings a wealth of enterprise technology experience to the financial services sector. Her career includes senior leadership positions at DocuSign, SAP, and other enterprise software giants. At Google Cloud, she played a key role in scaling commercial operations across North America, making her well-suited to drive Convera’s growth in the competitive cross-border payments market.

“Convergent’s leadership will be instrumental in delivering on our commitment to make global business payments simpler and smarter — serving our customers with excellence while building a high performing, aligned organization,” said Convera CEO Patrick Gauthier in a company statement.

The appointment signals Convera’s aggressive push to expand its market presence as businesses increasingly demand seamless international payment solutions. Riley’s enterprise software background could prove crucial as the company seeks to differentiate itself in a crowded fintech landscape dominated by both traditional banks and nimble startups.

Economic Development and Cannabis Tech See Executive Movement

Beyond the major tech players, several notable leadership changes are reshaping other sectors of the technology ecosystem.

Greater Seattle Partners, the public-private economic development organization, has strengthened its team with two strategic hires. Annie Pardo joins as executive administrator and operations manager, bringing experience supporting C-suite leaders at Woodland Park Zoo. Jacob Pavlik steps in as economic development manager after serving as research manager at Colliers International, where he analyzed commercial real estate trends and market dynamics.

In the emerging cannabis technology sector, BJ Fox has been named chief technology officer at Metrc, the Florida-based company providing seed-to-sale tracking technology for cannabis businesses. Fox’s extensive Seattle-area tech background includes C-suite roles at companies like Swiftly, SimpleID, Thunder, Glympse, and GetJar, giving him a diverse toolkit for tackling the unique regulatory and technical challenges of cannabis compliance technology.

Investment World Welcomes New Talent

The venture capital community is also seeing fresh faces take on leadership roles. Flying Fish Ventures, a Seattle-based investment firm, has appointed Malyun Abdullahi as chief of staff. A 2024 graduate of the University of Washington with a degree in business administration, Abdullahi previously worked at Columbia Hospitality, bringing operational expertise to the investment firm’s growing team.

Meanwhile, the clean technology sector gains a powerful advocate as Bonnie Frye Hemphill joins the board of the CleanTech Alliance, a Washington state trade group. Hemphill continues her role as director of policy and partnerships at UMC, a company specializing in building planning, construction, and facility management services. Her dual roles position her to bridge the gap between clean technology innovation and practical implementation in the built environment.

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