Amazon launched its first website in July 1995. Jeff Bezos founded the company as an online bookstore, and the early site operated from a Bellevue, Washington home and garage environment.
The business had been incorporated as Cadabra in 1994 before adopting the Amazon name. Bezos chose an online bookstore as the starting point because the internet made it possible to offer a much larger catalog than a conventional shop.
Amazon is often said to have begun in 1994 because that was the incorporation year. That date is different from July 1995, when the public website launched and customers could begin ordering books online.
The company later expanded into many retail categories, cloud computing through Amazon Web Services, digital media, devices, advertising, and logistics. Its market capitalization reflects this broad technology and commerce ecosystem.