Amazon.com, Inc., founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994, began as an online bookstore and quickly expanded to become the largest internet retailer in the world. From its humble beginnings, Amazon has diversified into a multitude of product categories, effectively changing the retail landscape. It became synonymous with online shopping due to its vast product selection and convenient customer services, including user reviews, one-click shopping, and its Prime membership program which offers benefits like free shipping and streaming entertainment.
Beyond retail, Amazon has established strong presences in cloud computing, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. Amazon Web Services (AWS), launched in 2006, became a leader in cloud computing by providing a broad set of global compute, storage, database, analytics, and deployment services that help organizations move faster, lower IT costs, and scale applications. Meanwhile, its digital streaming services, such as Amazon Prime Video and Amazon Music, provide a wealth of entertainment options to a global audience, competing directly with other streaming giants.
