Amazon
Amazon.com · AMZN
Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN) is a US company that runs a giant online store and the AWS cloud business; retail brings in most of the sales, while AWS earns a large share of the profit.
Company snapshot
- Listing
- Nasdaq: AMZN
- Founded
- 1994
- Headquarters
- Seattle, Washington, US
- Industry
- E-commerce and cloud computing
- Website
- www.amazon.com
What the company does
Amazon was founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994 and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It started as an online bookstore and now runs first-party retail, a marketplace for outside sellers, the Prime membership program, an advertising business and the cloud unit Amazon Web Services (AWS). Unlike most Big Tech peers, it owns a large network of warehouses and delivery operations.
How it makes money
Amazon reports three segments: North America, International and AWS. In its 10-K for fiscal 2025, AWS produced about 18% of net sales but roughly 57% of operating income. Retail (North America and International) is far bigger by sales, while the cloud business carries much of the profit. Within retail, seller fees and advertising earn better margins than goods Amazon sells itself.
Why markets watch it
The retail side offers a read on US consumer spending, and AWS shows how companies are spending on cloud and AI. One earnings report therefore covers both household demand and business investment. Amazon's data center spending plans feed into forecasts for AI chip demand, and its vast logistics network makes it sensitive to wages, shipping costs and tariff changes.