Amazon just accidentally confirmed what tech insiders have been whispering about for years: Vega OS, the company's custom Linux-based operating system, is finally ready to replace Android on Fire TV devices. The revelation came through a hastily-edited job listing that revealed a 2025 launch timeline, marking Amazon's boldest move yet to break free from Google's ecosystem and control its streaming destiny.
The leak couldn't have been more perfectly timed. Just days before Amazon's highly anticipated fall devices event, a job posting for a Prime Video software development manager spilled the beans on one of the company's most secretive projects. "The Prime Video Fire TV organization is seeking an engineering leader that will help in building a Vega OS product that will delight customers worldwide," the original listing stated, adding that "with the app launching in 2025, you will get to shape the future of this product."
By the time The Verge's Janko Roettgers reached out for comment, Amazon had scrubbed all Vega references from the posting. The company declined to comment, but the damage was done - the cat was officially out of the bag.
This isn't some pie-in-the-sky concept either. Amazon has been quietly running Vega OS on three devices already: the latest Echo Show 5, Echo Hub smart displays, and the Echo Spot smart clock. According to Reuters reporting from August, Fire tablets are next in line for the transition.
The strategic implications are massive. Since launching the first Fire TV device in 2014, Amazon has relied on a forked version of Android - essentially borrowing Google's foundation while trying to build its own ecosystem on top. But Vega represents complete independence: a Linux-based system built entirely in-house, designed to run across everything from smart displays to automotive systems.
What makes Vega particularly clever is its React Native framework. This lets developers write apps in JavaScript that can run across multiple TV operating systems - not just Amazon's. It's a developer-friendly approach that could ease the transition pain, though early signs suggest the industry isn't exactly thrilled about supporting yet another platform.
"Smart TV app developers are already forced to build a number of different apps for platforms including Google TV / Android, LG webOS, Roku, and Samsung's Tizen OS," notes the report. Now they'll need to juggle both Android-based Fire TV and Vega OS simultaneously, since plans to keep both systems running for the foreseeable future.
