Filling a gap created by the resignation earlier this year of Warren Jenson, Amazon.com has hired Thomas J. Szkutak as senior v-p and chief financial officer. Szkutak was CFO of GE Lighting and has worked in financial positions for more than 20 years. Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos praised Szkutak for his "terrific blend of financial, operational and international expertise," and said he will help Amazon "continue to drive down costs so that we can even further lower prices for customers."