Xbox co-creator leads new device development team at Amazon

Amazon is creating a new internal team, ZeroOne, that will focus on creating "disruptive" consumer products, with Xbox co-creator Jay Allard as its leader, CNBC reports.

ZeroOne operates in Seattle, San Francisco, and Sunnyvale. According to the job posting, the team will focus on both hardware and software projects for the smart home. No other information about what these products will be has been disclosed.

Jay Allard, who leads the new team, worked at Microsoft for 19 years and left the company in 2010. At that time, he led the technology department for consumer products.

Allard's achievements include his involvement in the development of the Xbox, where he was one of the main architects, and the unsuccessful Zune player, which was intended to compete with Apple's iPod. In September 2024, he joined Amazon and became part of the devices and services team, led by former Microsoft employee Panos Panay.

Amazon only confirmed that Allard is leading the newly formed ZeroOne team, but declined to provide other details.

The move signals Amazon's serious efforts to improve its hardware products. Panay has previously been reported to want to rebuild the company's products around Alexa and make the devices more premium.

Additionally, there have been recent rumors that Amazon is working on its own foldable device that would compete with a similar product from Apple.