Hyperdrive

Jeff Bezos Picks Key Man on Amazon Alexa to Launch His Rockets

Dave Limp helped develop Alexa, expand assistant’s products
Space venture has been dogged by delays and bureaucracy

Dave Limp during the Amazon Devices and Services event at the HQ2 campus in Arlington, Virginia, Sept. 20, 2023.Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg

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By Eric Johnson, Loren Grush, and Matt Day

September 26, 2023 at 4:22 PM UTC

Updated on

September 26, 2023 at 8:37 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin has spent two decades trailing Elon Musk’s SpaceX in the space-exploration race. To fix this, Bezos has turned to a trusted Amazon.com Inc. lieutenant known for getting products out the door.

Incoming Blue Origin Chief Executive Officer Dave Limp, who shepherded Alexa’s introduction in 2014, is a fierce guardian of Amazon and Bezos’ leadership principles, which put a premium on speed and solving customer problems.