Apple Inc. is an American technology company. Incorporated in California by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak on January 3, 1977, Apple designs consumer electronics and software. Formerly Apple Computer Inc, the company creates products like iPhones, Macs and iPads and sells them globally. With US$394.3 billion revenue in 2022, Apple is the world’s largest technology company by revenue. As of June 2022, it is the fourth-largest PC vendor and second-largest phone manufacturer. The publicly traded Delaware corporation is listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange since its 2004 IPO. Majority ownership of Apple shares is held by institutional investors.
Amazon.com, Inc. is a corporation listed on NASDAQ. Originally an online bookseller, Amazon now focuses on ecommerce, cloud computing and other services. Its headquarters are in Seattle, Washington. Amazon has child companies like Amazon Services LLC, Amazon Advertising LLC, Amazon Web Services, and Audible.
Amazon Services LLC offers services to third-party Amazon sellers including:
- Storage
- Shipping
- Order fulfillment
The LLC structure allows Amazon to optimize taxes.
As a corporation, Amazon limits owners’ liability but can be expensive to run. By owning LLC subsidiaries, Amazon reduces income tax and may avoid some sales tax.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) provides on-demand cloud computing platforms and APIs to individuals, companies, and governments. AWS is designed to enable businesses to quickly build, deploy and manage applications and services in the cloud.
Amazon is not a franchise but offers opportunities for entrepreneurs to operate their own Amazon delivery service. Amazon allows testing small online sales as a sole proprietorship but forming an LLC better protects established sellers.
Amazon started as an online bookseller. Now Amazon focuses on ecommerce, cloud computing and other services like Audible. The LLC structure allows Amazon to optimize taxes.
Amazon Web Services provides on-demand cloud computing platforms and APIs to companies and governments.
Amazon allows testing small online sales as a sole proprietorship but forming an LLC better protects sellers. As of 2018, Amazon.com ranked eighth on Fortune 500 by revenue. Amazon bought Ring, a home security company, for $1 billion in 2018.
Originally an online bookseller, Amazon morphed into an ecommerce company focused on cloud computing and digital streaming. With a market capitalization of $1.9 trillion, Amazon is a leader in e-commerce and one of the largest companies globally. Despite its reach, Amazon is a corporation not an LLC.
Amazon.com Inc is a public C Corporation listed on NASDAQ. The corporation has separate legal entities from shareholders to limit liability.
Amazon rapidly expanded from books to CDs, videos and DVDs. 1997 marked a milestone as Amazon went public, demonstrating ecommerce viability.
The company offers web hosting and sells consumer goods like books and clothing. Amazon operates multinationally in North America, Asia and Europe.
Amazon completed its initial public offering in May 1997 at $18 per share, adjusted for splits. Amazon fiscal year matches the calendar year ending December 31. Recently in June 2022, Amazon split its stock 20-for-1.