Why does Jeff Bezos need a cardiologist?
Amazon hires a cardiologist… and a good one at that. Yes, the company hired Maulik Majmudar, an associate director of the Healthcare Transformation Lab at Massachusetts General Hospital. This announcement came from Majmudar himself as he tweeted the news to the world. However, what he will be doing at Amazon remains unclear.
We already knew… how serious Amazon is about operating in the pharmaceutical space and this could be yet another step in that direction. The tech giant acquired PillPack in June, a company that holds a pharmacy license in all 50 states. Amazon is also working with Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan to lower health care costs for companies and employees alike. And, last but not least, the retailer also offers a line of private label OTC medicines.
The perfect fit… because Majmudar has experience working with healthcare and tech. Majmudar said, “The one reason I am taking on this opportunity is the possibility of making a significant impact on the health and wellbeing of hundreds of millions of individuals throughout the world.” With expectations like that, we shall eagerly wait to see the results of this new partnership. The rest of health care and pharmaceuticals – maybe not so much.