Joy Covey, ex-Amazon executive who helped take company public, dies

LOS ANGELES -- Joy Covey, who was Amazon.com's CFO in its startup days and guided the company through its IPO, died Wednesday in a bicycle accident in California. Covey, 50, was reportedly struck while cycling on Skyline Boulevard in the mountains of San Mateo County.

She leaves an eight-year-old son, Tyler.

One of the breakout women in tech during the first Internet boom, Covey ranked No. 28 on Fortune's Most Powerful Women in Business list in 1999.

Amazon went public on May 14, 1997, with an initial public offering price of $18. Shares closed yesterday at a record $312.06.

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