Amazon was founded in 1994 as an online bookstore before expanding into many industries.
Jeff Bezos founded Amazon in 1994, and the company began selling books online in July 1995. Bezos chose books because the catalog was unusually large and difficult for a physical store to stock completely. The business later expanded into electronics, household goods, groceries, digital media, and other categories.
Amazon also developed major businesses outside retail. Amazon Web Services became a leading cloud-computing provider, while Prime Video, Kindle, advertising, logistics, and smart devices broadened the company’s revenue base.
Amazon was originally incorporated as Cadabra, Inc., before the name was changed to Amazon. The company’s public shares began trading in 1997. Its market capitalization reflects the combined expectations for retail, cloud services, advertising, and other divisions rather than bookstore sales alone.