Amazon was founded in 1994 as an online bookstore before becoming one of the world’s largest retailers.
Jeff Bezos established Amazon in Bellevue, Washington, in 1994, and the website began selling books in 1995. Books were a practical starting product because they were standardized, available in a vast catalog, and difficult for a single physical store to stock completely.
Amazon expanded into electronics, household goods, clothing, groceries, and digital products. Its Amazon Web Services division became a major cloud-computing provider, while logistics, advertising, streaming, and subscription services added further sources of revenue.
The company’s market capitalization reflects expectations about future profits and growth, not simply the value of products in its warehouses. Alibaba, eBay, and Shopify are also major internet-commerce companies, but they have different business models and corporate histories.