Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon, speaks during an unveiling event in New York, Feb. 26, 2025.
Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has tapped one of the company’s top marketplace executives to be his new “shadow” advisor, the company announced Wednesday.
In a blog post, Amazon said Dharmesh Mehta, vice president of worldwide selling partner services, will become Jassy’s technical advisor in March.
Amazon said Amit Agarwal, its senior vice president of international stores, will take on Mehta’s responsibilities as part of an expanded role that will also include its customer trust teams.
The role of technical advisor, often referred to internally as a “shadow,” is one of the most sought after positions in the company. The role involves accompanying Jassy to most of his meetings to learn more about Amazon’s various businesses.
Shadow advisors typically go on to assume greater roles inside the company.
Jassy served as Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ shadow in the early 2000s, before he went on to be CEO of Amazon Web Services. Jay Marine, a top executive in Amazon’s Prime Video streaming unit, was Bezos’ shadow in 2013. Agarwal served as Bezos’ shadow from 2007 to 2009 before he helped oversee Amazon’s international expansion and India business.
Mehta replaces Alex Dunlap, a former AWS VP who was appointed Jassy’s technical advisor in late 2024, Business Insider reported.
