Amazon operates AWS and was founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994.
Jeff Bezos founded Amazon in 1994, and the company began as an online bookstore before expanding into a broad digital marketplace. Its retail operation grew into a global business selling products directly and hosting third-party sellers, while subscriptions, advertising, devices, and logistics added further revenue streams.
Amazon Web Services, usually called AWS, became a major cloud-computing business. AWS provides computing power, storage, databases, networking, and other services to companies, governments, and developers. Its scale and profitability have made it an important part of Amazon's overall valuation.
Amazon was incorporated in Washington state and initially operated under the name Cadabra. The company changed its name to Amazon, a reference to the Amazon River, before its public launch. Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud are major competitors, but AWS is Amazon's platform.