Amazon was founded by Jeff Bezos in a converted garage in Washington in 1994 and is globally known, but it could have had a different name entirely if the founder’s lawyer hadn’t stepped in
Technology company and retailer Amazon is known across the world, its logo instantly recognisable by shoppers – but it used to have a different name.
The popular company, arguably the largest online retailer on the planet, was founded by business magnate Jeff Bezos on July 5, 1994 in the converted garage of his house. It was originally conceived as a marketplace for books before expanding to offer an eclectic range of various products across multiple categories.
According to many reports, the company’s globally recognised name wasn’t actually Bezos’ first choice. Originally, instead of being called Amazon, it was set to be called Cadabra, as a nod to the magic phrase “abracadabra”.
When Bezos’ lawyer believed it sounded too similar to cadaver, he renamed the company, settling on Amazon. The rename reportedly happened in November 1994. Now, it’s impossible to conceive of the company being named anything else.
The story of Amazon’s origins from converted garage to global titan of industry is well-known, but its original name did leave some people rather surprised.
On Reddit, one user posted: “TIL [ today I learned] Amazon.com was very nearly called ‘Cadabra,’ as in ‘abracadabra.’”
While another Reddit user asked: “DYK [did you know]: Amazon was initially known as ‘Cadabra,’ but the company changed its name to Amazon.com, Inc. after a lawyer misinterpreted the original name as ‘Cadaver.’” Which prompted someone else to reply: “WHAT. How am I only just learning this?! Would be a good quiz question.”
On X, formerly known as Twitter, one social media user took the opportunity to share the knowledge with followers, penning: “Amazon was originally named Cadabra, and it was an online bookstore.
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Launched in July 1994 as “Cadabra Inc.”
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Changed to Amazon after people misheard it as “Cadaver”
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Now it’s the world’s largest e-commerce platform, but it started with books”
Another X user replied: “I didn’t know”. Someone else agreed and said: “Oh wow I didn’t know”, while a third response dubbed it “interesting information”. One X user boldly claimed: “Amazon would have been twice as big if they were named Cadabra.”
Amazon is considered one of the ‘Big Five’ American technology companies, alongside Alphabet, the parent company of Google; Apple; Meta, which is the parent company of Facebook; and Microsoft.
Its power has served founder Jeff Bezos well; he’s the second wealthiest person in the world, with a net worth of $211 (£161) billion as of July 16, 2024, according to Forbes. In 2020, he pledged to donate $10 (£7.6) billion to climate causes by 2030 through his Bezos Earth Fund; and so far, he has donated $2 (£1.5) billion.
Amazon isn’t the only company he has stakes in. Bezos is the owner of the American daily newspaper The Washington Post, as well as Blue Origin, an aerospace company which develops rockets. In July 2021, he and three other passengers flew to space on Blue Origin’s first crewed flight.
In a November 2022 interview with CNN, Bezos stated that he intends to give away most of his wealth during his lifetime, although he did not share any specific details.
