Amazon, founded in 1994 as an online bookstore, became a mega-cap leader through e-commerce and cloud computing.
Jeff Bezos founded Amazon in 1994, and the company began operating as an online bookstore in 1995. It soon expanded into other categories, building a broad marketplace that sells products directly and hosts third-party merchants. That expansion transformed Amazon from a specialist retailer into a global commerce platform.
Amazon Web Services, launched in the mid-2000s, became another crucial part of the business. AWS provides computing, storage, databases, and other internet infrastructure to companies, governments, and developers. Its profitability and growth helped investors value Amazon as more than a traditional retailer.
Amazon’s market capitalization reflects expectations for several businesses, including online stores, AWS, advertising, logistics, and subscriptions such as Prime. The company changed its legal name from Cadabra to Amazon in 1994, and its headquarters are in Seattle, Washington.