CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Open account
☰
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Open account
✖

Amazon acquisitions: What does Amazon own?

Article By: ,  Former Senior Financial Writer
October 11, 2023 3:28 PM

How did Amazon become the world’s largest e-commerce company?

Amazon started out of Jeff Bezos’s garage in Bellevue, Washington in 1994. It’s now one of the Big Five companies in the US information technology industry, along with Alphabet (Google), Apple, Microsoft, and Meta (Facebook).

Learn more about Amazon shares

This success comes down to the growth of the internet. In 1994, there were only 40 million people using the internet in the US but now over 5.18 billion people are using the internet as of 2023 – that's around two thirds of the population.

When Amazon was launched, it sold books online but quickly expanded to sell everything from electronics and software, to food, toys, clothing and furniture. Amazon grew its revenue from $8.47 million in Q4 1996 to $16 million in Q1 1997. Despite this being considered a relatively small income, Amazon went public in 1997, at $18 per share. This gave the company a market value of about $438 million.

By 2015, Amazon had become the most valuable retailer in the US by market capitalisation – surpassing grocery store Walmart. It is now in the rarified club of companies with a valuation in excess of $1 trillion. 

Amazon’s share price has had an equally meteoric rise. For investors, every $10,000 invested at the time of Amazon’s 1997 IPO would be worth more than $14 million today.

Discover Amazon’s share price history under Jeff Bezos

What companies does Amazon own?

Amazon owns more than 100 companies across a variety of market sectors – including tech, groceries, media and medicine. Many have attributed this vast empire of businesses to Amazon’s need-to-win mentality – if it can’t dominate the market on its own, it’ll just buy the market leader.

Amazon's biggest acquisitions

Amazon’s biggest acquisition was Whole Foods in 2017, which it acquired for $13.7 billion. It provided a brick-and-mortar retail space for Amazon, as well as insights into high street shoppers.

Here are Amazon’s biggest acquisitions ranked by cost value:

  1. Whole Foods: 2017, Food and Beverage, Grocery and Organic Food, for $13.7 billion
  2. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer: 2021, Media Production and Film, for $8.5 billion
  3. One Medical: 2022, Healthcare, for $2.9 billion
  4. iRobot: 2022, Robotics, for $1.4 billion
  5. Zoox: 2020, Autonomous Vehicles, Robotics and Transportation, for $1.2 billion
  6. Zappos: 2009, E-Commerce, Retail and Shoes, for $1.2 billion
  7. Twitch: 2014, Social Media, Video, Video Games and Video Streaming, for $970 million
  8. Ring: 2018, Home Security and Smart Home, for $840 million
  9. Kiva Systems:  2012, Hardware, Mobile, Robotics and Software, for $775 million
  10. PillPack: 2018, Pharmacy and E-Commerce, for $753 million

Amazon acquisition history

As Amazon owns so many companies, we’ll just take a look at the acquisition history of some of Amazon’s most famous acquisitions.

 

What companies does Jeff Bezos own?

Jeff Bezos owns a number of companies; naturally the most famous is Amazon. While he stepped down as CEO in Q3 2021, he’s still the largest single shareholder, with more than a 10% stake in the company.

One of the reasons cited for Bezos’s decision to vacate his position at Amazon was to focus on his other businesses. These include:

  • The Washington Post – the newspaper was bought in 2013 for $250 million
  • Blue Origin – the aerospace company was created in 2000 aiming to have a moon lander in the next few years
  • Bezos Expeditions – this company is Bezos’s personal venture capital investments firm. As of 2020, Bezos Expeditions invested in more than 66 companies including famous companies like Airbnb and Uber
  • Bezos Day One Fund – a philanthropic organisation Bezos founded to help low-income families

How to trade shares with City Index

You can trade Amazon, and over 4500+ global shares with us in just four steps:

  1. Open an account, or log in if you’re already a customer 

    • Open an account in the UK
    • Open an account in Australia
    • Open an account in Singapore

  2. Search for the company you want to trade in our award-winning platform
  3. Choose your position and size, and your stop and limit levels
  4. Place the trade

StoneX Financial Ltd (trading as “City Index”) is an execution-only service provider. This material, whether or not it states any opinions, is for general information purposes only and it does not take into account your personal circumstances or objectives. This material has been prepared using the thoughts and opinions of the author and these may change. However, City Index does not plan to provide further updates to any material once published and it is not under any obligation to keep this material up to date. This material is short term in nature and may only relate to facts and circumstances existing at a specific time or day. Nothing in this material is (or should be considered to be) financial, investment, legal, tax or other advice and no reliance should be placed on it.

No opinion given in this material constitutes a recommendation by City Index or the author that any particular investment, security, transaction or investment strategy is suitable for any specific person. The material has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research. Although City Index is not specifically prevented from dealing before providing this material, City Index does not seek to take advantage of the material prior to its dissemination. This material is not intended for distribution to, or use by, any person in any country or jurisdiction where such distribution or use would be contrary to local law or regulation.

For further details see our full non-independent research disclaimer and quarterly summary.

CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. CFD and Forex Trading are leveraged products and your capital is at risk. They may not be suitable for everyone. Please ensure you fully understand the risks involved by reading our full risk warning.

City Index is a trading name of StoneX Financial Ltd. Head and Registered Office: 1st Floor, Moor House, 120 London Wall, London, EC2Y 5ET. StoneX Financial Ltd is a company registered in England and Wales, number: 05616586. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. FCA Register Number: 446717.

City Index is a trademark of StoneX Financial Ltd.

The information on this website is not targeted at the general public of any particular country. It is not intended for distribution to residents in any country where such distribution or use would contravene any local law or regulatory requirement.

© City Index 2024