Amazon Chief Policy Officer Jay Carney to Join Airbnb

Mr. Carney, who was President Barack Obama's press secretary, joined Amazon in 2015.

SEATTLE — Jay Carney, who was President Barack Obama's press secretary, is leaving the high politics and a public communications position at Amazon to join Airbnb.

Airbnb said in a blog post on Friday that Mr. Carney would become its global chief policy and communications.

Mr. Carney, a former Time magazine reporter, joined Amazon in 2015 as first senior vice president of global affairs, combining public relations and government lobbying as the company faced increasing scrutiny. He fiercely protected the image of Amazon and that of its boss, Jeff Bezos, one of the richest men in the world.

Mr. Carney's departure is one of many changes at Amazon's top a year into the tenure of Andy Jassy, ​​who succeeded Mr Bezos as chief executive. Mr. Jassy, ​​who previously built and led Amazon's cloud computing business, is known for his attention and interest in detail and has dug into the parts of the business that are newly under his control.

Dave Clark, the architect of Amazon's logistics expansion, announced last month that he was leaving before a successor was named. John Felton, a transportation executive, replaced Mr. Clark as Amazon's general manager of retail and operations. Two of the company's most senior black executives, who were Mr. Felton's peers, also left.

Mr. Jassy announced Mr. Carney's departure in an email to his leadership team, congratulating him for "many significant accomplishments on behalf of Amazon customers and employees, for helping us create a strong set of public policy and public relations capabilities". Times got the email.

"Everything about my time at Amazon exceeded my expectations," Mr. Carney said in an email to his team on Friday, which was also obtained. by The Times. He did not provide comment when contacted Thursday.

Amazon faces more regulatory threats from governments around the world than at any other time in its history. The Federal Trade Commission, led by Amazon critic Lina Khan, is conducting a broad investigation to determine whether the company's practices violated antitrust law. Lawmakers could also vote this year on legislation that would prevent Amazon from favoring its own products, such as batteries and trash bags, over those sold by competitors in its online marketplace.

Amazon's public relations specialists and lobbyists have promoted the company as a benchmark employer and a boon to the local economies where it operates. In 2018, the company announced a minimum wage of $15 an hour, drawing praise from its frequent critic, Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont.

But Mr. Carney's team got a black eye during Amazon's search for a second headquarters, when in 2018 it underestimated the gradual backlash it would face building potentially a major presence in New York. Amazon backtracked and chose another location.

Mr. Carney's team also faced criticism after an official Amazon Twitter account last year dismissed a congressman's concern that workers had to urinate in bottles while on the job. The company has apologized.

More recently, Mr. Carney's team staged a vigorous response to antitrust legislation, which Amazon says would make it difficult ...