Amazon is doubling down on its agentic AI ambitions, hiring two senior executives to help build its growing portfolio of developer tools and infrastructure for intelligent agents.

The new hires follow Business Insider’s report in early September that Amazon was getting ready to make a big splash in the AI agent market, sparking a rally in the company’s shares. Amazon’s cloud computing arm, AWS, has made an aggressive move to position itself as a leader in agentic AI, where intelligent software agents build, deploy, and manage complex applications on behalf of users.

David Richardson returns to Amazon Web Services as vice president of AgentCore, the company’s foundational agent infrastructure offering. A 16-year veteran of the cloud giant, Richardson was instrumental in launching AWS’s Serverless business before departing in 2022 to lead developer experience and product platform at Stripe.

Now back, DRR, as he’s known inside Amazon, will oversee AgentCore along with related projects such as the Strands SDK and Agent Builder within Bedrock, AWS’s popular AI platform.

“We expect DRR to start other new exciting efforts in the AgentCore umbrella,” Swami Sivasubramanian, who runs the Agentic AI team at AWS, wrote in a recent internal memo announcing the hire.

Amazon declined to comment.

Joe Hellerstein, a professor at UC Berkeley and renowned database researcher, has also joined AWS as Vice President and Distinguished Scientist, according to a separate internal memo. He will play a pivotal role in advancing Kiro, AWS’s agentic integrated development environment (IDE). Kiro has quickly gained traction, attracting over 100,000 users in its first week of release.

Hellerstein’s academic work includes leadership of the Hydro project, a framework for building distributed systems. At AWS, he will focus on integrating Hydro’s principles into Kiro to strengthen the platform’s reliability and developer appeal.

“Joe will work closely with our customers to understand their needs and translate that feedback into making both Hydro and our products more impactful,” Deepak Singh, an AWS VP who oversees developer agents and experiences, wrote in an internal memo. “We are particularly excited about the possibilities of how Hydro can integrate with Kiro to help our customers build robust, high-performance distributed systems.”

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Ortac Global launched an AI-driven advisory program to support foreign founders in establishing companies in Dubai. Covering structure selection, banking, accounting, visas, and compliance, the program aligns with Dubai’s AI agenda and reforms while providing clear guidance on company setup costs and long-term business growth.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates – Ortac Global, a Dubai-based consultancy and Dubai accounting firm, today introduced an AI-informed business setup and compliance advisory designed for entrepreneurs opening a company in Dubai. The announcement comes as the UAE accelerates its AI push through the National AI Strategy 2031 and Dubai’s Universal Blueprint for AI, initiatives aimed at productivity gains and new-economy growth.

“Dubai’s AI agenda is not abstract—it’s changing how government and business operate,” said Murat Ortac, Founder of Ortac Global. “Our new advisory translates that momentum into practical steps for founders: faster decisions on legal form, clearer banking pathways, smarter bookkeeping, and investor-ready compliance from day one.”

AI plays a central role for new companies in Dubai

Government policy is actively embedding AI across services—spanning smart government, data governance, licensing and more—supporting the emirate’s goal to add AED 100 billion annually to the economy and lift productivity by 50 percent under the D33 agenda. These moves make market entry more predictable for founders weighing how to open a company in Dubai. Recent government and semi-government publications underscore that Dubai’s AI ecosystem is already visible in public services and regulator use-cases, with a strategic outlook through the decade—signals that matter to investors and operating teams planning long-term.

Ortac Global introduces an AI-informed advisory program

Built on Ortac Global’s company-formation and accounting practice, the new program bundles:

• Structure & Jurisdiction Selection – Evidence-driven recommendations across mainland and free-zone options (including 100% foreign ownership where applicable) aligned to the client’s operating model, payments, and hiring plans.
• Cost & Timeline Modeling – A transparent estimate of the cost of opening a company in Dubai (licenses, visas, registered address, and mandated services), including variance by free zone vs. mainland; the model is informed by current market ranges and regulatory schedules.
• Banking & Payments Readiness – Sequencing for KYC, local banking, and integrations to global processors; guidance on Stripe/PayPal eligibility and alternatives when applicable.
• Accounting & Compliance Stack – Chart of accounts, VAT registration when required, monthly close cadence, and dashboards that reflect investor-grade reporting—delivered by Ortac Global’s in-house accounting team in Dubai.
• Immigration & Founder Visas – Investor and employee visa support mapped to the chosen license and office package.

“Founders ask two questions first: Which structure should I pick? and What will it cost and take?,” Ortac added. “Our framework answers both with data, not guesswork—so teams can move from research to registration to revenue quickly and compliantly.”

A Simpler Path for Establishing a Company in Dubai

Ortac Global operates end-to-end across documentation, license issuance, visa processing, accounting set-up, and continued management—reducing touchpoints and helping clients avoid rework. The firm supports entrepreneurs in English and Turkish and can work from Dubai or remotely, providing clear steps for opening a company in Dubai and staying compliant afterward.

The company’s track record includes alliances that streamline approvals in recognized free zones, offering faster issuance of licenses and visas for suitable business activities—useful to founders targeting speed-to-market.

Dubai’s AI momentum is shaping opportunities for founders

• Policy & Services: Smart-government adoption and AI use-cases lower friction in licensing and ongoing operations; founders benefit from clearer processes.
• Economic Targets: Dubai’s AI blueprint seeks sizable GDP contributions and productivity gains—tailwinds for sectors from fintech to professional services.
• Talent & Ecosystem: AI initiatives, accelerators, and tourism-tech programs expand the support stack for new businesses.

Opening a company in Dubai follows a clear five-step process

Founders typically progress in five steps: (1) select activity and jurisdiction; (2) submit KYC and formation documents; (3) receive license and corporate registry; (4) open bank account and payments; (5) activate VAT/accounting and visas. Ortac Global’s team provides a single point of contact throughout, including a cost outline and compliance calendar tailored to the chosen route.

About Ortac Global

Ortac Global advises entrepreneurs and companies on establishing a company in Dubai, the UK, and Northern Cyprus—covering registration, visas, banking, and ongoing accounting. As a Dubai accounting firm, Ortac Global combines company-formation expertise with managed bookkeeping, tax/VAT, and investor-grade reporting to help clients scale with confidence.

For more information, visit: https://ortacglobal.com/en/

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Company Name: Ortac Global
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Country: United Arab Emirates
Website: https://ortacglobal.com/en/