Amazon
- Cem Sibay, formerly VP of Worldwide Prime Product & Technology, is now leading Amazon's efforts to build an internal COVID-19 testing lab, Business Insider has learned.
- His team's priority is to build the testing capabilities and the infrastructure needed to deliver test results in between the lab and Amazon's facilities across the country.
- Amazon previously said it planned to spend $300 million on building the test lab during the three months ending in June, as part of the $4 billion investment on coronavirus-related initiatives during the quarter.
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Amazon has tapped 15-year company veteran Cem Sibay to lead its effort to build a new in-house COVID-19 testing lab, according to people familiar with the matter.
Sibay, who most recently ran the day-to-day operations of Amazon's Prime membership program, became vice president of "Project Ultraviolet," the internal codename for the initiative, in April, the people said. The team's top priority is to roll out COVID-19 testing to every Amazon employee, and build the infrastructure needed to ship testing results between the in-house lab and Amazon facilities spread across the country.
Ultraviolet is likely in reference to the theory of UV light being an effective disinfectant for COVID-19. Amazon recently showcased a UV-light emitting robot designed to kill the novel coronavirus in Whole Foods stores and warehouses.
Amazon's spokesperson declined to comment.
Sibay's appointment shows Amazon is assigning one of the company's most important COVID-19 response efforts to a trusted executive with a proven track record of success — but no background in healthcare.
After spending 7 years on Amazon's corporate development team, Sibay helped grow the company's European operations until 2016. Then he moved to the team in charge of the Prime program, helping expand it to over 150 million paid members worldwide. Sibay's experience in fast delivery and logistics while on the Prime team was a key consideration for his appointment, as test result delivery is a big challenge for the team, one person said. Sibay recently updated his LinkedIn page to reflect the change in his role.
"Covid changed everything. It's time to fight back. Leading a team of passionate scientists, engineers, product managers and other subject matter experts that have put their 'day jobs' on hold to help make a difference and ultimately save lives. Testing, testing, testing," his Linkedin profile says.
A $300 million project with a Kentucky addressAmazon has previously said it planned to spend roughly $300 million on building the testing lab during the three months ending in June. Additionally, it said it expected to spend a total of $4 billion across a number of different coronavirus-related initiatives during last quarter, such as increased wages and improved temperature checks for warehouse workers. CEO Jeff Bezos said in a statement in April that the company has started "building its first lab and has begun a pilot to test front-line employees."
Sibay's team has recently recruited several executives from other parts of the company, people said. The new additions include Liam Pingree, former manager of the Prime Air drone delivery team, Jack Sallay, most recently a senior manager of Prime Benefits team, and Sarah Mathews, who was a director for Amazon Books. Pingree's LinkedIn profile now says he's part of "Amazon Laboratories."
The team is actively hiring both internally and externally. Many of the job openings linked to Sibay's team are based in Hebron, Kentucky, where Amazon is building a new Air Hub for its freight service. In one job posting for the medical technologist position, Amazon says it's looking for someone who can work a 24/7 shift and "perform all laboratory testing in a high complexity CLIA-certified laboratory covering all levels of complexity necessary for diagnosis and treatment."
Amazon's response to COVID-19 has been a hot button issue for the company over the past few months. The company's loose safety measures have resulted in a number of employee protests across the country, while several lawmakers demanded answers for the firing of activist employees. Amazon still hasn't disclosed the total number of infections among workers at its warehouses, but an unofficial employee tally has the count at over 1,500 cases.
In April, Bezos wrote in his annual shareholder letter that his own time and thinking "continues to be focused on COVID-19 and how Amazon can help while we're in the middle of it."
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