Amazon executive to do stint with Italian government

Online retail colossus Amazon on Wednesday said that one of its senior executives will take two years off to work for free for the Italian government.

Diego Piacentini will take a leave of absence to work pro-bono to lead the prime minister's digital technology office in Italy, his homeland.

"It's a way for me to give back to the country in which I was born and lived for 40 years of my life," 55-year-old Piacentini said in an online announcement posted by Amazon.

Piacentini has worked for Amazon for 16 years. He said he will work with the Italian government in Rome and fly home every few weeks to Seattle, where Amazon is based.

"Mr. Prime Minister @matteorenzi; we are so proud of Diego," Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos said in a Twitter post.

"Great for Italy. Kudos to all!"

The Italian prime minister thanked Bezos in a responding tweet, adding "It will be a pleasure to work with @diegopia. Come to Italy and we can talk about innovation!"

© 2016 AFP