Amazon has hired Jay Carney, the political commentator and former White House press secretary, as senior vice president for Worldwide Corporate Affairs, reporting directly to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.
A company spokesman confirmed the news this morning following a report by Politico. Carney will leave his role as a senior political analyst for CNN to focus on Amazon full-time — no small decision for the former Obama press secretary, given the upcoming U.S. Presidential election cycle.
The hire significantly boosts Amazon’s political and governmental experience, potentially helping the company as it addresses legislative and regulatory issues such as commercial drones and sales taxes for online retailers.
Carney will split his time between Seattle and Washington, D.C., overseeing a unified public relations and public policy division for the company. PR chief Craig Berman and public policy chief Paul Misener will report to Carney.
