J Allard has taken on a new role at Amazon, joining the company as vice president on its Devices and Services team. Allard co-founded Microsoft's Xbox division and held leadership roles there for over a decade before leaving Microsoft in 2010.
Since then, Allard has stayed involved in both the gaming and technology industries through initiatives like Project 529, a nonprofit he led that aimed to reduce bicycle theft using an open-source registry. Project 529 was acquired earlier this year by bike insurance startup Two Three Bird.
Allard's most recent position was as Chief Product and Technology Officer at fundraising platform GoFundMe, where he oversaw technical infrastructure and product development. However, he will now take the reins at Amazon reporting to Panos Panay, who himself transitioned from a long career at Microsoft to lead Amazon's Devices team last year.
The specifics of Allard's new responsibilities at Amazon remain unclear, but as VP he will be involved in strategizing and launching new hardware and software within the booming consumer electronics division.
Allard is no stranger to pioneering new product categories, having spearheaded Microsoft's original Xbox console as well as online gaming network Xbox Live. He also worked on the Zune and Xbox 360 before leaving the company.
He has over 30 years of tech, gaming, and mobile device experience, so indeed a good leadership boost to Amazon when competition is seriously heating up in the consumer technology sector. Yet to be seen, however, are the new directions he will steer the retail giant into under former Microsoft peer Panay.
If history is any indication, Allard could play a major role in seeding Amazon's next generation of electronics and interactive services. His oversight has given video games validity as a mainstream medium, and we'll be paying close attention to what kind of ideas might come out of his deal with Amazon next.
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