Amazon began in 1994 when Jeff Bezos left his Wall Street job to start an online bookstore out of his garage in Seattle. Inspired by the explosive growth of the internet, Bezos launched Amazon.com in 1995, offering a wider selection of books than any physical store. His customer-first approach, with features like user reviews and fast delivery, helped Amazon quickly gain traction.

By the late 1990s, Amazon expanded beyond books into CDs, electronics, and other retail categories. Despite skepticism and operating losses, Bezos stayed focused on long-term growth over short-term profit. When the dot-com bubble burst in the early 2000s, many online businesses collapsed—but Amazon survived and thrived.

A major turning point came in 2005 with the launch of Amazon Prime, offering fast, free shipping for a yearly fee. Prime deepened customer loyalty and became one of the company’s biggest growth drivers. Another game-changer was Amazon Web Services (AWS), introduced in 2006. What started as internal infrastructure quickly became the world’s leading cloud computing platform, generating massive revenue and powering countless startups and enterprises.

Amazon’s rise wasn’t without missteps. The Fire Phone, launched in 2014, flopped despite high expectations. The company has also faced criticism over warehouse conditions, anti-competitive behavior, and its impact on small retailers. Yet Bezos continually steered Amazon through challenges with a bold, adaptive vision.

The 2010s saw Amazon dominate e-commerce, expand into smart devices with Alexa and Echo, and reshape entertainment with Prime Video. Acquisitions like Whole Foods and MGM signaled ambitions beyond the internet. By 2021, Bezos stepped down as CEO, handing the reins to Andy Jassy, while focusing on space exploration through his company Blue Origin.

Today, Amazon is one of the world’s most influential companies, with a vast footprint across retail, logistics, cloud computing, and AI.

A Business Lesson from Jeff Bezos

One of Jeff Bezos’s most powerful lessons is: “Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.” For Bezos, obsession with customer experience was the foundation of Amazon’s success. His message to entrepreneurs is clear: build trust relentlessly, because reputation—and how you treat your customers—will ultimately define your legacy.