TOP 100 COMPANIES Amazon
Year Founded : 1994 Industry : e-Commerce / Tech / Streaming Service
Jeff Bezos founded Amazon from his garage in Bellevue , Washington in 1994 . It began as an online marketplace for books but expanded to sell electronics , software , video games , clothes , furniture , food , toys , and jewelry .
In 2015 , the company surpassed Walmart as the most valuable retailer in the US .
In August 2017 , it bought Whole Foods Market for US $ 13.4bn , which increased its footprint as a physical retailer . Its subscriber two-day delivery service , Amazon Prime , passed 100 million customers worldwide .
Measured by revenue Amazon is the world ' s largest :
• Online marketplace
• AI assistant provider
• Live-streaming platform
• Cloud computing platform
• Internet company
It is also the second-largest private employer in the United States . It employs people in its warehouses , bulk distribution centres , hub locations , and also at delivery stations , where drivers pick up packages .
Of itself , Amazon says : “ We are guided by four principles : customer obsession , passion for invention , commitment to operational excellence , and long-term thinking .”
In a nod to its bookseller origins , Amazon subsidiaries include Audible . com - a producer of spoken audio entertainment - and Goodreads , the world ’ s largest online community of book lovers .
In February 2021 , Bezos stepped down as CEO and is now transitioning power to Andy Jassy , who is currently CEO of Amazon Web Services . supplychaindigital . com 33