Amazon became the first online retailer valued at US$1 trillion.
Amazon crossed the US$1 trillion market-capitalization threshold on September 4, 2018. Jeff Bezos founded the company in 1994, initially as an online bookstore, and it expanded into a broad marketplace selling goods across many categories.
Amazon’s valuation also reflects businesses beyond retail. Amazon Web Services became a major provider of cloud computing, while advertising, logistics, streaming media, devices, and subscription services broadened the company’s commercial reach.
A common mistake is to describe Amazon only as a retailer. Retail remains central, but the company’s cloud division has been a major source of operating income and strategic importance. Amazon’s shares trade on the Nasdaq under the symbol AMZN, and its market value changes with investor expectations about growth and profitability.