Zapolsky gets KIIT Lifetime Achievement Award
Bhubaneswar: KIIT University conferred its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award on David A Zapolsky, Chief Global Affairs and Legal Officer, Amazon, during a special ceremony on Friday. The event was attended by Achyuta Samanta, Founder of KIIT and KISS, along with senior officials from Amazon India.
In a candid conversation with KIIT Vice Chancellor Saranjit Singh, Zapolsky highlighted Amazon’s deepening engagement with India, the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence, and offered advice to students preparing for a rapidly evolving world. Highlighting India’s growing importance in Amazon’s global strategy, Zapolsky noted that the company has invested nearly USD 40 billion in the country, including major investments in data infrastructure and cloud computing. Amazon operates data centres in Mumbai and Hyderabad and last year alone committed an additional USD 35 billion to strengthen its India footprint.
“India is a leader in shaping the global conversation around AI,” he said, praising the clarity of vision articulated by the country. “No nation has expressed as clearly as India what it wants to achieve with AI. Our role will be to provide the infrastructure to support that ambition,” Zapolsky said.
He announced Amazon’s partnership with the government of India to expand AI and STEM education to reach 40 million schoolchildren across the country. The initiative focuses on skilling the next generation to become AI-capable workers. He emphasised that corporations must align CSR with their core competencies, noting that Amazon leverages its technological and logistical strengths for community impact, particularly in disaster relief. On AI governance, Zapolsky made significant reference to regulation. He noted that while it is still early to understand how AI will be implemented fully, thoughtful regulation—backed by strong compliance frameworks—will be essential to ensure technology is deployed ethically and responsibly.
Addressing students, Zapolsky recounted his own unconventional career journey, from aspiring scientist and musician to prosecutor in Brooklyn and later Amazon executive. He urged the youngsters not to chase prestige or salary. “Listen to your gut. Do what makes you happy. When you pursue your passion, opportunities follow,” he said.
