Amazon Appoints Xbox Co-Founder J Allard to Key Role

Noted gaming executive J Allard, formerly of Microsoft, has assumed the position of vice president of product at Amazon. This development was discovered through an update on Allard's LinkedIn profile, which was subsequently confirmed by Amazon. Allard will be part of the Devices and Services team, overseeing projects such as Echo devices and the Alexa virtual assistant. With a 20-year tenure at Microsoft, Allard is renowned for co-founding the Xbox brand and playing a pivotal role in the launch of the original console, Xbox 360, Xbox Live, and Xbox Live Arcade. Following a hiatus from the gaming industry, Allard briefly rejoined in 2020 as the global managing director of Intellivision Entertainment, where he worked on the Amico console project before departing less than a year later. Prior to joining Amazon, Allard held positions at various companies, including GoFundMe and Project 529, a bicycle registry platform.