Amazon company history timeline: 1994 founding and IPO, Prime, AWS, Kindle, Whole Foods acquisition, and the Bezos-to-Jassy leadership handoff.
From a Seattle garage bookstore to one of the world's largest companies: Amazon's founding, IPO, Prime, AWS, Kindle, Whole Foods, and the handoff from Jeff Bezos to Andy Jassy.
Jeff Bezos incorporates the company in Washington state as Cadabra, Inc., soon renamed Amazon.com.
The site launches as 'Earth's Biggest Bookstore,' selling books online from Seattle.
Amazon goes public on NASDAQ at $18 per share, valuing the young bookseller around $438 million.
Amazon expands into music, video, toys, and electronics, pursuing the 'everything store' vision.
Third-party sellers can list alongside Amazon's own goods - today more than half of units sold.
Amazon reports its first net profit ($5M, Q4 2001), silencing dot-com-bust doubters.
Prime debuts at $79/year for unlimited two-day shipping, becoming the engine of customer loyalty.
Amazon Web Services opens S3 storage and EC2 computing, creating the modern cloud industry.
The first Kindle e-reader sells out in hours and transforms book publishing.
Amazon announces a ~$1.2B deal for shoe retailer Zappos, its biggest acquisition to date.
Amazon buys Kiva Systems for $775M, beginning the large-scale robotic automation of its fulfillment centers.
The Echo smart speaker introduces the Alexa voice assistant, opening a new product category.
Amazon announces and closes its $13.7B purchase of Whole Foods Market, a leap into physical grocery.
Amazon briefly tops a $1 trillion valuation, the second US public company to do so.
After a high-profile contest among 238 cities, Amazon picks Arlington, Virginia (and initially New York) for HQ2.
COVID-19 lockdowns drive record demand; Amazon hires hundreds of thousands of workers in months.
Andy Jassy, founder of AWS, becomes CEO exactly 27 years after incorporation; Bezos moves to executive chair.
Amazon completes its $8.5B purchase of the MGM film studio, bulking up Prime Video.
Amazon's first stock split since 1999 takes effect, lowering the per-share price from over $2,000.
Amazon launches the first production satellites for its Kuiper broadband constellation, rivaling Starlink.
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