Amazon

E-Commerce & Cloud

Founded in 1994 as an online bookstore, Amazon now operates one of the world's largest e-commerce platforms and, through Amazon Web Services (AWS), provides cloud infrastructure to businesses and governments worldwide.

View Official Amazon Careers

Official Amazon Careers Website

Quick Facts

Founded: 1994
Founder: Jeff Bezos
Headquarters: Seattle, Washington
Industry: E-Commerce & Cloud Computing

About Amazon

Amazon was founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos in Bellevue, Washington, as an online bookstore. It expanded rapidly into electronics, apparel, and eventually most consumer categories. Amazon went public on NASDAQ in 1997.

Amazon Web Services, first offered publicly in 2006, became the world's dominant cloud infrastructure provider. The company also operates a large digital advertising business and a hardware division that produces Kindle, Echo, Fire TV, and Ring devices.

What Amazon Does

North America Store

Amazon's US, Canada, and Mexico e-commerce operations, including first-party and third-party marketplace sales.

International Store

Amazon's retail operations across Europe, Asia, and other international markets.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Cloud infrastructure, platform, and software services for startups, enterprises, and governments.

Advertising

Amazon's digital advertising platform connecting brands with shoppers on Amazon properties.

Devices & Services

Kindle, Echo (Alexa), Fire TV, and Ring smart home products.

Career Areas

Types of professional roles found inside Amazon.

Software Development
Operations & Logistics
Machine Learning & AI
Product Management
Supply Chain
Finance & Accounting
Marketing
Human Resources
Legal & Compliance
Customer Service

Amazon's History

1994
Founded
Amazon founded by Jeff Bezos in Bellevue, Washington, as an online bookstore.
1997
IPO
Amazon lists on NASDAQ.
2005
Amazon Prime launched
Amazon Prime introduced, offering unlimited two-day shipping for an annual membership fee.
2006
AWS launched publicly
Amazon Web Services begins offering public cloud services, including S3 storage and EC2 computing.
2007
Kindle launched
Kindle e-reader introduced, marking Amazon's entry into consumer hardware.
2017
Whole Foods acquired
Amazon acquires Whole Foods Market, establishing a significant physical retail presence.

Purpose & Values

“To be Earth's most customer-centric company”

Amazon describes this mission as driving every business decision â€” from offering the widest selection at competitive prices to enabling entrepreneurs through Marketplace and developers through AWS.

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