In what year was Amazon founded?

Amazon was founded in 1994. Jeff Bezos established the company on July 5, 1994, initially as an online bookstore before it grew into a global technology and commerce company.

Bezos began the business after leaving a senior role at the investment firm D. E. Shaw. He moved from New York to the Seattle area, attracted partly by the region’s technology talent and Washington’s favorable sales-tax situation for an online retailer. The company was originally incorporated as Cadabra, Inc., but Bezos changed the name after concerns that it sounded too much like “cadaver.” He chose Amazon, referencing the enormous Amazon River and suggesting scale.

Amazon’s website began operating in 1995, so 1994 and 1995 are sometimes confused. The earlier year refers to the company’s founding and incorporation; the later year marks the public launch of its online bookstore. Amazon eventually expanded into electronics, cloud computing through Amazon Web Services, digital media, advertising, logistics, and many other businesses.