Today, Amazon purchased MGM Studios for $8.45 billion, adding another piece to the Amazon Empire. This is a big move for the company, showing competitors such as Disney, Warner Brothers and other big studios that they mean business about making it in the entertainment industry. But with yet another large purchase from Amazon, it’s becoming more difficult to keep track of everything they own. To put it into perspective, the giant partially or fully owns more than 100 different businesses in many different sectors. Here is a list of some of the many major acquisitions that you might not know about.
6 companies in the Amazon Empire
- Zappos is an online shoe and clothing shop that Amazon acquired in 2009 for $850 million.
- IMDB is an online database of information related to films, television programs, video games and more. In 1998, Amazon struck a deal to buy IMDB for approximately $55 million.
- Whole Foods was bought in 2017 for a reported $13.7 billion. It’s a pop-culture supermarket chain featuring a healthy variety of groceries.
- Twitch is a live streaming service that focuses on video games and broadcasts of e-sports competitions. Amazon acquired the service for $970 million in August 2014.
- Ring is becoming one of the most popular smart doorbell companies. Their Wi-Fi-enabled doorbells can stream live video of your doorstep to a smartphone or tablet. Amazon acquired them in 2018 for $1 billion.
- Audible produces audiobooks and shows on the internet. Amazon bought Audible for about $300 million in 2008.
The family continues to grow.
These are just a few popularly known companies owned by Amazon that you might not have known about. The list of companies seems endless and is continuing to grow. It’s Big Business. Welcome to the family, MGM.
So, which business do you think the empire will conquer next?
