Fact 1: Remember Cadabra? That Was Amazon's Original Name
Before becoming a global company with its name synonymous to e-commerce, Amazon was initially called "Cadabra," as in "Abracadabra." It was later changed to Amazon by founder Jeff Bezos after his lawyer misheard it as "cadaver."
Fact 2: Amazon’s First-Ever Customer Order Was a Book
The first item ever ordered on Amazon was a book titled "Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies: Computer Models of the Fundamental Mechanisms of Thought" by Douglas Hofstadter in 1995.
Fact 3: Amazon was Almost Named 'Relentless'
Before finally settling on Amazon, Bezos contemplated naming his online store 'Relentless.' In fact, if you type relentless.com into your web browser, it still redirects to Amazon's official website. Talk about relentless commitment!
Fact 4: Amazon's Employees Spent the First Months At Desk Made From Doors
In the early days of Amazon, money was so tight that desks were made from doors to save costs. This practice led to the creation of a company-wide 'door desk' tradition, symbolizing frugal innovation.
Fact 5: Amazon's Largest Warehouse is Equal to 28 Football Fields
Amazon operates massive fulfillment centers around the globe. The largest among them is in India, spanning over 10 acres - approximately the size of 28 football fields!
Fact 6: Amazon's Logo Has a Meaning
The Amazon logo is not just a simple smiley face. The curved arrow, resembling a smile, points from the 'A' to 'Z' in Amazon, indicating that the company sells everything from A to Z.
Fact 7: Amazon Sells Over 12 Million Products
Amazon sells products in a broad array of categories, with over 12 million products (excluding books, wine, media, and services). When we include Amazon marketplace sellers, that number jumps to over 350 million products!
Fact 8: Amazon's Book Roots are Revived with “Brick and Mortar” Stores
Despite starting as an online book seller and almost disrupting the physical book store market, Amazon is now running physical “brick and mortar” bookstores in several US cities.
Fact 9: Amazon Web Services (AWS) Generates More Income than its E-Commerce Business in North America
Amazon’s cloud computing arm, Amazon Web Services (AWS), is a huge profit driver for the company, generating more income than their North American e-commerce business in recent years.
Fact 10: Thousands of Dogs 'Work' at Amazon
Amazon's main headquarters in Seattle is home to about 6,000 dogs. The company is an avid pet-friendly employer, allowing employees to bring their dogs to work every day.
Fact 11: A Fake Holiday Turns into a Prime Success
Amazon started a fake holiday in 2015 called 'Amazon Prime Day,' offering discounts to Prime members. It turned out to be so successful that it now arguably rivals Black Friday and Cyber Monday in terms of sales volume.
Fact 12: Amazon Was the Most Valuable Company on Earth
In 2017, Amazon's market value surpassed that of Microsoft for the first time, making it the world's third most valuable company. By 2018, it had reached a trillion-dollar market cap, briefly becoming the second company to do so after Apple.
Fact 13: Amazon Once Racked Up a $2.7 Million Phone Bill
In 2003, Amazon forgot to cap 'one-click' purchases on an international mobile plan. Seen as a curiosity at a tech fair in Japan, thousands of people clicked on the link causing Amazon a $2.7 million phone bill!
Fact 14: Amazon is Not the Company's Only Name
Have you ever heard of A9.com, Lab125, or Zappos? Probably not. These are all subsidiaries of Amazon, operating under different brand names but are part of the giant's ever-growing empire.
Fact 15: Alexa Holds a Guinness World Record
Amazon's voice-activated virtual assistant, Alexa, is a 2018 Guinness World Record holder for having the highest number of simultaneous games played on an AI platform.
Fact 16: Amazon's Founder, Jeff Bezos, Makes More Money Per Second than Most People Earn in a Year
At his peak net worth, Jeff Bezos was earning nearly $2,489 per second, which is significantly more than the median annual salary in the US!
Fact 17: Amazon Sells An Astonishing Number of Items Per Second
During peak times, such as the holiday season, Amazon sells over 400 items per second, far surpassing sales of many brick-and-mortar retail stores.
Fact 18: Amazon Plays a Vital Role in Online Sales Worldwide
Amazon accounts for over 40% of online sales in the United States, confirming that it plays a pivotal role in the e-commerce industry.
Fact 19: Amazon's Kindle Was Not the First E-Reader, But it Made E-Reading Mainstream
Although Amazon's Kindle wasn't the first e-reader in the market, it revolutionized the e-book industry by delivering an easy-to-use, affordable device coupled with Amazon's vast selection of e-books.
Fact 20: There's an Amazon River Even Inside Amazon
Inside the Amazon headquarters in Seattle, there are three large, conjoined spheres filled with a diverse variety of plants and named after the Amazon rainforest. Known as 'The Spheres,' they offer a unique workspace for Amazon employees.