Amazon was the first internet business to reach a $1 trillion market capitalization, doing so in September 2018.
Amazon crossed the $1 trillion mark on September 4, 2018, about a month after Apple reached the same valuation. The milestone reflected a sharp rise in Amazon’s share price and investor confidence in its retail, cloud-computing, advertising, and subscription businesses. Amazon was founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994 and began as an online bookstore.
The company expanded rapidly into electronics, household goods, digital media, logistics, and web services. Amazon Web Services, launched in the mid-2000s, became a major source of operating income and helped change how investors valued the company.
Calling Amazon the first “internet company” to reach the mark distinguishes it from older technology and industrial firms. The milestone refers to public market capitalization, not to sales, assets, or the company’s cash balance.