By JOSEPH PISANI AP Retail Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Jeff Bezos is stepping down later this year as Amazon CEO, a role he’s had since founding the company nearly 30 years ago. Amazon made the announcement Tuesday. Bezos built the company from an online bookstore into a behemoth that sells just about everything. Amazon says Bezos will be replaced in the summer by Andy Jassy, who runs Amazon’s cloud business. Bezos will then become the company’s executive chairman. In a blog post, Bezos said he planned to focus on new products and early initiatives at Amazon. He also expects to have more time for side projects, including his space exploration company Blue Origin and philanthropic initiatives.