Amazon

Amazon is a multinational technology giant that focuses on various services like e-commerce, cloud computing, digital streaming and artificial intelligence. It is one of the Big Five companies in the US IT industry, along with Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Apple

Jeff Bezos set up Amazon in 1994 as an online marketplace for books and then further expanded to sell electronics, games, apparel, furniture etc. In 2015, Amazon surpassed Walmart to become the most valuable retailer in US

Amazon Web Services was launched in 2002, which just provided internet traffic pattern and today more than 2 million people and businesses use Amazon’s services, worldwide

Amazon is committed to building a sustainable business for our customers and the planet. In 2019, Amazon co-founded The Climate Pledge—a commitment to be net-zero carbon across our business by 2040, 10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement. As part of this pledge, Amazon has made ambitious commitments toward reaching this goal

Product/Business Portfolio

1. Amazon Fresh

Amazon Fresh is the grocery delivery service which is available in major cities of US and then expanded around the globe to Berlin, Hamburg, London, Milan, Munich, Rome, Tokyo, Singapore and India. Amazon Fresh also opened six physical stores in US

2. Amazon Prime

Amazon Prime is a paid subscription service available in various countries, and gives users access to services like free delivery, one-day delivery and streaming services for music, video and e-books

3. Amazon Web Services

One of the largest subsidiaries of Amazon that provides on-demand cloud computing platforms and APIs to various entities on a metered-as-you-go basis

4. Alexa

Alexa is the virtual assistant AI technology developed by Amazon used in smart speakers like Amazon Echo and Smart Home technologies

5. Appstore

Appstore is the package app store for Amazon’s Fire OS operating system

6. Amazon Drive

Earlier known as Amazon Cloud Drive, Amazon Drive is a cloud storing application for cloud storage, file sharing, file backup etc

7. Echo

Amazon Echo is the brand of smart speakers that connects to the voice controlled personal assistant, Alexa

8. Kindle

Kindle is the series of e-readers that enables user to browse, buy, download and read e-books, newspapers, magazines etc

9. Fire Tablet

A series of tablet computers developed by Amazon

10. Fire TV

Fire TV is a line of Digital media players and microconsoles that deliver digital audio and video streamed through the internet

11. Amazon Digital Game Store

Digital video game distribution service managed by the international e-commerce arm of Amazon

12. Amazon Studios

Amazon studios is an American television and film producer and a distributor

13. A9.com

A company focussed on researching and building innovative technology

14. Amazon Maritime

Amazon Maritime holds a federal license to operate as a non-vessel owning common carrier to manage its shipments across the world

15. Audible

Audible is a seller and producer of spoken audio entertainment, information and educational programming on the internet

16. Goodreads

Gooodreads is a social cataloging website that allows users to freely search user populated database of books, annotations and reviews

17. Twitch

Twitch is a live streaming platform for video games

18. Amazon Operations - Customer fulfillment and Delivery network

It is a service that allows businesses to outsource order fulfillment and delivery to Amazon

Top 5 Competitors

• Google
• Walmart
• Alibaba
• Otto
• Netflix

Recent News and Developments

• Amazon launches Amazon Hub Delivery to empower local businesses across the U.S.
• 1.25 lakh+ exporters on Amazon Global Selling to surpass $8 billion in cumulative exports from India in 2023
• Amazon Future Engineer Launches Early Internship Program to Empower Women from Underprivileged Communities in India with Tech Experience in Various Roles at Amazon
• Amazon joins hands with ‘Womennovator’ to enable 200 Indian Women Entrepreneurs ‘Go Global’
• Amazon Sets a New Record for Most Renewable Energy Purchased by a Single Company
• Amazon’s U.S. Small Business Empowerment Report Shows Continued Sales Growth for Independent Sellers

Opportunities at Amazon

Amazon carries out extensive hiring activities in B-Schools across the country. The roles that are typically offered by Amazon to BSchool graduates include Marketing Manager, Product Manager, InStock Manager, Sales Specialist, Merchandising Manager, Business Intelligence, Business Operations, Brand Development, Analytics and Insights, Partner Management, Business Development, Finance, Category management, Program Management, Brand Management etc to name a few

Work Environment and Culture:

Amazon employs more than 2,75,000 employs in the US and more than 500,000 people worldwide

• Amazon still works according to the startup culture, where one can wear anything to work, and is free to come to work and leave any time
• The leaders in the organization are approachable
• The organization offers numerous benefits and perks to all its employees worldwide
• It gives you the advantage of both a big company and a startup, and a place where you’ll meet the best talents
• Amazon has its own resources for almost everything
• Amazon’s gigantic ecosystem provides with a lot of good opportunities to grow
• Amazon works at half yearly review cycles, as opposed to most organizations that work on an annual review cycle
• Amazon discourages the use of presentations in meetings. Instead, they prefer short and concise documents

Values

Amazon's Leadership Principles aren't inspirational wall hangings. These Principles work hard, just like people at Amazon do. Amazonians use them every day, whether they're discussing ideas for new projects, deciding on the best solution for a customer's problem, or interviewing candidates.

• Customer Obsession
• Ownership
• Invent and Simplify
• Are Right, A Lot
• Learn and Be Curious
• Hire and Develop the Best
• Insist on the Highest Standards
• Think Big
• Bias for Action
• Frugality
• Earn Trust
• Dive Deep
• Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit
• Deliver Results
• Strive to be Earth’s Best Employer
• Success and Scale Bring Broad Responsibility