Amazon was originally incorporated as Cadabra, Inc.
Jeff Bezos founded the online bookstore in 1994, and the company was incorporated under the name Cadabra in July of that year. Bezos later changed the name after a lawyer reportedly misheard “Cadabra” as “cadaver,” which could create an unfortunate impression.
The replacement name, Amazon, referred to the vast South American river and suggested a business of enormous scale. The company began selling books online in 1995, then expanded into many product categories and services. Another name sometimes confused with Cadabra is Relentless, a domain Bezos registered and still associated with Amazon, but it was not the company’s original corporate name.
Amazon’s market value now reflects far more than retail. Its businesses include Amazon Web Services, digital advertising, devices, logistics, streaming, and subscriptions, making its early bookstore identity easy to overlook.