\n<\/p>\n
Amazon announced this week that Jennifer Salke is stepping down as the head of Amazon MGM Studios \u2014 a move that could indicate high-level dissatisfaction with the company\u2019s streaming strategy over the past few years.<\/p>\n
To be clear, Salke\u2019s boss Mike Hopkins (the head of Amazon MGM Studios and Prime Video) praised her work in an email to employees<\/a> and described her departure as one that allows the company to \u201cflatten our leadership structure a bit\u201d \u2014 a recurring theme<\/a> in recent tech company layoffs.<\/p>\n In other words, Amazon does not intend to fill Salke\u2019s role. Instead, the heads of its film and TV studios report directly to Hopkins.<\/p>\n But the reporting around Salke\u2019s departure highlights Amazon\u2019s streaming disappointments and challenges under her leadership. Previously an exec at NBC, Salke joined Amazon Studios in 2018<\/a>, as the company was looking to expand beyond critically praised movies and shows into more mainstream hits.<\/p>\n The streamer has had its share of successes since then, including \u201cReacher,\u201d \u201cJack Ryan,\u201d \u201cFallout,\u201d and \u201cThe Boys.\u201d It also made a big bet on \u201cThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,\u201d a show whose premiere drew a record audience for Amazon<\/a>, but which has not proven to be the world-conquering phenomenon that you\u2019d hope for with a reported budget of more than $1 billion<\/a>.<\/p>\n And then there\u2019s \u201cCitadel,\u201d an espionage show designed as the epicenter of a fictional universe of global spinoffs like \u201cCitadel: Diana\u201d and \u201cCitadel: Honey Bunny.\u201d Extensive reshoots reportedly turned \u201cCitadel\u201d into the second most expensive show ever made<\/a> (behind only \u201cThe Rings of Power\u201d), but its reception has been even more underwhelming. The Hollywood Reporter says the second season has been delayed from fall 2025 to spring 2026<\/a>, with further spinoffs put on hold.<\/p>\n Amazon has also struggled to get another James Bond film into production, following its acquisition of MGM in 2022<\/a>. Producers Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli (the offspring of longtime Bond producer Albert \u201cCubby\u201d Broccoli) maintained creative control of the franchise, and a Wall Street Journal report<\/a> in December suggested that Barbara Broccoli was particularly unhappy with Amazon \u2014 she was apparently annoyed in an early meeting when Salke referred to Bond as \u201ccontent,\u201d and she was even reported to describe the tech giant\u2019s team as \u201cidiots.\u201d<\/p>\n Another source said that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was, in turn, so angered by the WSJ story about Broccoli<\/a> that he declared, \u201cI don\u2019t care what it takes, get rid of her,\u201d with the company subsequently paying the Wilson and Broccoli to give up control.<\/p>\n