This week, Amazon made the announcement that Jennifer Salke will be stepping down from her position as head of Amazon MGM Studios, a decision that may suggest dissatisfaction at the highest levels with the company’s streaming strategy over the past few years.

It’s worth noting that Mike Hopkins, Salke’s supervisor and the head of Amazon MGM Studios and Prime Video, commended her work in an email to employees and characterized her departure as an opportunity for the company to “simplify our leadership structure” — a common theme in recent tech company layoffs, as seen in similar instances.

To put it simply, Amazon has no intention of filling Salke’s role. Instead, the leaders of its film and television studios will report directly to Hopkins.

However, the reporting surrounding Salke’s departure sheds light on Amazon’s streaming disappointments and challenges during her tenure. Salke, formerly an executive at NBC, joined Amazon Studios in 2018 as the company sought to expand its reach beyond critically acclaimed movies and shows to more mainstream hits.

Since then, the streaming service has experienced its share of successes, including popular shows like “Reacher,” “Jack Ryan,” “Fallout,” and “The Boys.” Additionally, Amazon made a significant investment in “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” a series whose premiere drew a record audience for Amazon, although it has not become the global phenomenon one might expect given its reported budget of over $1 billion.

Furthermore, there’s “Citadel,” an espionage series intended as the central hub of a global universe with spinoffs like “Citadel: Diana” and “Citadel: Honey Bunny.” Extensive reshoots reportedly led to “Citadel” becoming the second most expensive show ever produced, surpassed only by “The Rings of Power.” However, its reception has been underwhelming, with The Hollywood Reporter stating that the second season has been delayed from fall 2025 to spring 2026, and further spinoffs have been put on hold.

Amazon has also faced challenges in producing another James Bond film following its acquisition of MGM in 2022. Producers Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, who have maintained creative control of the franchise, have been at odds with Amazon. A Wall Street Journal report in December suggested that Barbara Broccoli was unhappy with Amazon, particularly after Salke referred to Bond as “content” in an early meeting, with Broccoli describing the tech giant’s team as “idiots.”

According to another source, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was so angered by the WSJ story about Broccoli that he declared, “I don’t care what it takes, get rid of her,” leading to Amazon paying the Wilson and Broccoli to relinquish control.

Notably, Salke’s name was conspicuously absent from Amazon’s announcement of the Bond deal. However, she will be launching a new film and television production company with a first-look deal at Amazon.