Xbox cofounder J Allard is working on ‘breakthrough’ devices at Amazon
- Xbox cofounder J Allard is leading Amazon’s new ZeroOne team focused on “breakthrough” devices.
- The team, which includes roles in applied science, product marketing, and customer insights, is working on a smart home device as one of its projects.
- J Allard joined Amazon in late 2024 to focus on “new ideas” after nearly 20 years at Microsoft, where he worked on various products including Xbox, Zune, Kin phones, and Courier tablet prototype.
- The ZeroOne team’s job listings don’t specify a release date for their product, but it’s unclear when we can expect to see something from the team.
- Amazon already has a strong presence in smart home tech through its Alexa ecosystem, including Echo devices and other brands like Blink and Eero, so this new project may be an interesting addition to the company’s offerings.
Amazon has a new ZeroOne team focused on “breakthrough” devices, and it’s led by Xbox cofounder and former Microsoft executive J Allard, CNBC reports. Based on a job listing for the team, one of those products is a smart home device.
J Allard was one of the main faces of the original Xbox and Xbox 360 consoles, and during his nearly 20-year tenure at Microsoft, he also worked on the Zune MP3 player, Kin phones, and Courier tablet prototype. He joined Amazon to focus on “new ideas” in late 2024.
Job listings for his ZeroOne team at Amazon include senior roles in applied science, product marketing, and customer insights. The description for the applied scientist role says the person will work on “a new smart-home product,” while the product marketing job description vaguely mentions work on “an Amazon device.”
It’s unclear when a product from ZeroOne might actually be released.
Smart home tech isn’t anything new for Amazon, as the company already has various product lines within its Alexa ecosystem, including Echo devices, and even other brands it owns, like Blink and Eero. Amazon’s Alexa event in February was focused almost solely on its new AI-powered Alexa Plus smart assistant, which is still invite-only and carries a $20 per month subscription fee.