History of Amazon

Amazon was founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos in Seattle, Washington, initially as an online bookstore. Bezos selected books as the starting product due to their broad appeal, availability, and relatively low shipping costs. The company grew quickly by offering a large inventory and a straightforward purchasing experience that traditional retailers could not match. It adopted an early strategy of rapid scaling, prioritising market share over near-term profitability.

In the late 1990s, Amazon expanded beyond books into music, electronics, and other consumer goods. The company introduced personalised recommendations, user reviews, and in 2005, Amazon Prime — a membership service offering fast shipping that later incorporated streaming content. These features contributed significantly to customer retention and revenue growth.

In 2006, Amazon launched Amazon Web Services (AWS), a cloud computing platform offering storage and processing capacity on a subscription basis. AWS became one of Amazon’s most profitable business segments, serving enterprises, governments, and developers worldwide. The company has since expanded into artificial intelligence, logistics, and healthcare sectors.

Amazon has been a subject of controversy in relation to Project Nimbus, a cloud computing and artificial intelligence contract with the Israeli government and military valued at approximately $1.2 billion, awarded jointly to Amazon and Google in 2021. Employees staged protests against the contract, and in April 2024, Amazon dismissed 28 workers who had participated in demonstrations. Critics argued the contract positioned Amazon’s technology infrastructure in support of Israeli military operations.