Amazon was officially founded by Jeff Bezos on July 5, 1994. It started as an online bookstore operating out of Bezos's garage in Bellevue, Washington. The company's website launched publicly on July 16, 1995, initially selling books directly from wholesalers and publishers. Bezos initially named the company Cadabra but changed it to Amazon later the same year. The company then gradually expanded into many other product categories and services over time.