Jeff Bezos initially named Amazon “Cadabra” when he founded the company in 1994.
The name was a shortened form of “Abracadabra,” but Bezos changed it after lawyer concerns that it could be misheard as “cadaver.” The company was then briefly associated with the name “Relentless” before Amazon was selected, referring to the enormous South American river.
Amazon began as an online bookstore and officially opened for business in 1995. Its catalog expanded rapidly into music, electronics, household products, and nearly every major retail category.
Today, Amazon's market capitalization reflects much more than online shopping. Amazon Web Services became a major cloud-computing business, while advertising, subscriptions, logistics, and devices added further sources of revenue. The company's original name is therefore a small but revealing detail from its early internet-startup history.