Jeff Bezos taps former Amazon Alexa head to lead $10 billion Earth fund

In a significant move to enhance his $10 billion climate initiative, Jeff Bezos has appointed Tom Taylor, a seasoned executive from Amazon, to lead the Bezos Earth Fund. Taylor, who previously headed Amazon's Alexa division, expressed his excitement about this new role in a LinkedIn announcement made on Tuesday. Having dedicated nearly 23 years to Amazon, Taylor retired in 2022 after contributing to various sectors within the company, including overseeing third-party seller services. In his new position, he aims to tackle Earth's pressing environmental issues by leveraging long-term strategies, innovative approaches, and effective execution. The Bezos Earth Fund was established in 2020 with the mission of addressing climate change through grants awarded to scientists, activists, and organizations working to safeguard the planet. With an ambitious goal of distributing all funds by 2030, the initiative has already allocated $2.3 billion in grants as highlighted on its official website. Since stepping down as CEO of Amazon in 2021, Bezos has increasingly focused on the fund, including donating shares from his Amazon portfolio to support its mission. Taylor succeeds Andrew Steer, who resigned from the position earlier this year after leading the fund since its inception.