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Globe and Mail
03-08-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
7 Things to Know About Amazon -- Some May Surprise You
Key Points Amazon is one of Earth's biggest employers. Interestingly, "Amazon" was not its original name. The company is home to a wide range of businesses. 10 stocks we like better than Amazon › No matter how well we may think we know a company, there are still likely to be things about it that can surprise -- or amuse -- us. For example, one of the two brothers who founded Domino's Pizza traded his share of the company to the other brother for a used Volkswagen Beetle. Here's a look at Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) and some interesting things about it which you might not know. 1. Its logo has a message Check out the Amazon logo, and you'll see an arrow under the word "Amazon." You might not think much of it, but upon closer inspection, you'll see that it's connecting the letters A and Z -- reflecting the fact that Amazon's sells everything from A to Z. 2. Its name wasn't always Amazon When Amazon was founded in 1994, its name was Cadabra, as in abracadabra. It was soon decided that the name, while whimsical, was sometimes misheard as "cadaver." Founder Jeff Bezos started searching for a new name and wanted one that began with "A" -- so that it would appear early in lists -- and he settled on the name of the world's longest river. 3. It's a major employer Many investors strongly favor companies with capital-light business models over capital-intensive ones -- such as airlines and railroads. Airbnb, for example, is quite capital-light, needing no stores, carrying no inventory, etc. As an e-commerce giant, you might assume that Amazon is capital light, too, as, unlike Walmart, it doesn't have thousands of stores across the country. It's still a major employer, though, as it employs gobs of people in its distribution centers as well as drivers for deliveries. As of the end of 2024, Amazon employed about 1,556,000 full-time and part-time employees -- which doesn't even include independent contractors and temporary workers. That's enough to make it the world's second-largest employer, per 4. Its big numbers are really big Consider this: While most companies sport market capitalizations in the millions or billions, Amazon is in elite company with a market cap in the trillions -- $2.45 trillion, recently. It's also one of the " Magnificent Seven" stocks, along with Apple, (Google parent) Alphabet, (Facebook parent) Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tesla. The company rakes in some $650 billion annually -- and keeps about 10% of that as net profit. Numbers like that have really helped the company grow -- by an annual average rate of 32% since its initial public offering (IPO) in May 1997. That's enough to turn an investment of $10,000 into close to $26 million! If you'd bought just one share at the IPO, thanks to various stock splits, you'd now own 220 shares, and your initial $18 investment would be worth more than $50,000. Meanwhile, founder Jeff Bezos was recently the third-richest person in the world, per Forbes -- with a net worth of about $244 billion. 5. Its brand name is very valuable Various companies assess the value of global brands regularly, and per Brandirectory, Amazon is the fourth-most-valuable brand in the world, after Apple, Microsoft, and Google. Its brand value is listed as $356 billion. 6. It makes more on services than products We tend to think of Amazon as a massive online retailer, which it certainly is. But it's also a major operator in the cloud computing realm, with its leading Amazon Web Services (AWS). In the company's first quarter, 59% of its revenue came from services. (It's worth noting that AWS's lead in market share has been shrinking recently.) 7. Amazon is much more than a marketplace and more than a cloud platform Amazon is home to lots of different businesses and brands -- which recently included Whole Foods Market, shoe retailer Goodreads, Twitch, Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM), and Audible. It also makes and sells devices under the Alexa, Kindle, Fire, Ring, and Blink names, and features a host of services under its Amazon Prime umbrella, including Prime Video and Prime Music. Then there's One Medical, with which Amazon has expanded into healthcare (along with other operations such as PillPack), and Zoox, which is a self-driving vehicle start-up. Amazon also bought the Kiva Systems robotics company, and is using its robots in its distribution centers. Amazon has plenty of cash on hand, so stay tuned for further investments and expansions. These are just some of many fascinating things to know about Amazon. If you're thinking of investing in Amazon or are already a shareholder, it can be helpful to learn all you can about the company. Should you invest $1,000 in Amazon right now? Before you buy stock in Amazon, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Amazon wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $624,823!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,064,820!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,019% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 178% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of July 29, 2025 Selena Maranjian has positions in Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Airbnb, Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Domino's Pizza, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia, Tesla, and Walmart. The Motley Fool recommends Volkswagen Ag and recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Pretty Surprised': Conover woman wins $158k digital lottery prize
CATAWBA COUNTY, N.C. () — A Conover woman won big on Thursday, according to the North Carolina Lottery Commission. Samantha Spencer was about to get some rest but ended up winning a $158,426 instant digital jackpot. 'I was about to lay down for a nap, but that made me jump up real quick,' she said, laughing. Spencer played for a dollar in The Lamp: Dark Arts and won the second level 'Cadabra' jackpot. The odds of this win were 1 in 32 million. 'I was pretty surprised,' she recollected. 'I didn't expect that.' Taste of Charlotte 2025: Your guide to Queen City's largest food festival Why did she pick this game? 'My favorite color is green, and the wheel in the game is green,' she said. On Monday, Spencer went to lottery headquarters to claim her prize, and after taxes, she walked away with $113,671. Spencer says she plans to use the money to pay bills and to support local cat rescues. In The Lamp: Dark Arts, players can wager from 50 cents to $30. After Specer's win, the game reset to $25,000. As of Tuesday morning, the game's top level, 'Alakazam,' jackpot sits at over $892,000. Digital instant games can only be played on the lottery's website or mobile app. Forty-six games are available. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
3 Ways Jeff Bezos Changed Your Spending Habits With Amazon
A little over three decades ago, a young entrepreneur from Bellevue, Washington worked in a tiny garage on a startup called Cadabra (which later became Amazon). The 30-year-old entrepreneur, Jeff Bezos, heard rumors floating around about the potential impact of the internet. Warren Buffett: Read Next: According to a CNBC interview with the world's second richest man in 2001, word was spreading that usage could explode at a rate of 2,300% annually, piquing his interest. Suffice it to say, Bezos smelled an opportunity — one that forever changed the business landscape — and, as we will discover, our spending habits. In its nascent days, Amazon was a one-trick pony, selling only books. However, within a few years, music was added to its repertoire, and by 2000, third-party sellers were added to the mix to expand business operations even further. Yet, like many businesses during their early years, the company still wasn't making money. Based on SEC filings, it took nearly a decade for the e-commerce firm to finally undergo its first profitable year in 2003. From there, Bezos aggressively reinvested profits, transforming his startup into the behemoth it has blossomed into today. Learn More: We've become familiar with the convenience of online shopping, and seeing the items shipped to our doors the next day. However, before Bezos revolutionized consumer habits, people had to shop in traditional brick-and-mortar stores, with occasional mail orders. Now, in mere minutes, consumers are able to purchase virtually anything they want with a simple press of a button — and if that wasn't convenient enough, thanks to Amazon Prime, some orders in select areas can be delivered the same day. The convenience of this cannot be overstated, as the practice of quick deliveries has become a standard and expectation. Amazon's pioneering of online shopping has brought the company vast fortunes and a dominant market share. One factor for its success is the acclaimed Amazon Prime. Amazon Prime was the first-ever service to offer unlimited two-day shipping for an upfront fee, as reported by Vox. Since debuting in 2005, the service has grown to become the biggest subscription program in the world, with over 200 million global subscribers, per Reuters. To put that in perspective, if Amazon Prime were a country, it'd be the eighth biggest on the planet, according to the CIA World Factbook numbers. Capital One Shopping estimated overall revenue from members totaled $44.37 billion in 2024 — an increase of more than 10% from 2023 — with Amazon holding a commanding 40% market share in the U.S. How has this shaped our money habits? According to Juozas Kaziukenas of Marketplace Pulse (per The New York Times), Amazon has effectively conditioned people to believe they are more reliable than competitors given their success, thus making shoppers instinctively buy from Amazon — even if the latter may not have the best product in stock — influencing consumers' spending habits without them even consciously realizing it. More than half of shoppers (56%) depend on what other buyers think of products before making a final decision. This phenomenon was studied by Bazaarvoice in 2020 (per Forbes), which concluded that online reviews were the most pivotal factor for making a purchase. Furthermore, in another study conducted by Power Reviews (per USA Today), it was found that products with feedback had a 65% higher chance of being bought than those without feedback. Simply put, the creation of Amazon and its enormous community of reviewers significantly affects how we perceive what vendors sell. This underscores the importance of companies needing to build organic trust with clients, as reviews can be the deciding factor between making a sale or potentially going out of business in the long run. More From GOBankingRates Here's How Much Cars Made in the US Cost Compared to Mexico, Canada and China 9 Downsizing Tips for the Middle Class To Save on Monthly Expenses 4 Grocery Items To Buy Now Before Tariffs Raise Prices This Summer 8 Common Mistakes Retirees Make With Their Social Security Checks Sources CNBC, 'At age 30, Jeff Bezos thought this would be his one big regret in life' The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Search Filiongs — INC. Vox, 'The making of Amazon Prime, the internet's most successful and devastating membership program' Reuters, 'FTC no longer seeks DOGE-related delay in Amazon trial' CIA World Factbook, 'Country Comparisons — Population' Capital One Shopping, 'Amazon Prime Statistics' The New York Times, 'How Amazon Won Shopping' Forbes, 'A Short History Of Amazon's Product Review Ecosystem, And Where We Are Today' USA Today, 'That review you wrote on Amazon? Priceless' This article originally appeared on 3 Ways Jeff Bezos Changed Your Spending Habits With Amazon Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
