Amazon's Hits and Misses
"My life is based on a large series of mistakes. I'm kind of famous for it in the business realm." — Jeff Bezos
This list has long inspired me. It fits my rapid trial-and-error approach to building products.
Alive and profitable No longer with us
| Name | Year | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Inspire | 2022 | TikTok‑style shoppable feed in Amazon app. | |
| Amazon Amp | 2022 | Live radio app for creators and listeners. | |
| Amazon Style stores | 2022 | Tech‑forward brick‑and‑mortar apparel stores. | |
| Amazon Glow | 2021 | Kids’ video‑calling projector device. | |
| Amazon Explore | 2020 | Live virtual tours and experiences marketplace. | |
| Amazon Halo | 2020 | Health wearables and subscription service. | |
| Crucible | 2020 | Free‑to‑play multiplayer shooter game. | |
| Amazon Go Grocery | 2020 | Cashierless mid‑size grocery format. | |
| Amazon Scout | 2019 | Autonomous sidewalk delivery robot program. | |
| Amazon 4‑star stores | 2018 | Curated stores featuring top‑rated items. | |
| Haven | 2018 | Healthcare JV with JPMorgan and Berkshire. | |
| Amazon Go | 2018 | Cashierless retail tech and stores. | |
| Ring | 2018 | Smart doorbells and home security cameras. | |
| Amazon Cloud Cam | 2017 | Home security camera and service. | |
| Amazon Chime | 2017 | Meetings, chat, and business calling. | |
| Amazon Instant Pickup | 2017 | App‑based instant pickup points. | |
| Amazon Spark | 2017 | Instagram‑like shopping feed. | |
| Amazon Dash Wand | 2017 | Alexa‑enabled barcode scanner. | |
| Whole Foods Market | 2017 | Grocery retail chain. | |
| Wing.ae | 2017 | UAE delivery startup acquisition. | |
| Amazon Tap | 2016 | Portable Alexa speaker variant. | |
| Whole Foods 365 | 2016 | Lower‑cost Whole Foods store format. | |
| Treasure Truck | 2016 | Quirky mobile “deal truck” program. | |
| Partpic | 2016 | Visual search for industrial parts. | |
| Dash Buttons | 2015 | Physical reorder buttons for essentials. | |
| Amazon Destinations | 2015 | Local getaways booking site. | |
| Amazon Storywriter | 2015 | Online screenwriting tool. | |
| Amazon Tickets | 2015 | Event ticketing effort. | |
| Amazon Restaurants | 2015 | Restaurant delivery service. | |
| Amazon Underground | 2015 | ‘Actually Free’ Android app program. | |
| Amazon Books stores | 2015 | Physical Amazon‑branded bookstores. | |
| Shoefitr | 2015 | 3D shoe‑sizing technology. | |
| Safaba | 2015 | Machine translation startup. | |
| Amazon Wallet | 2014 | Loyalty and gift card wallet app. | |
| Amazon Local Register | 2014 | Mobile card reader for merchants. | |
| Amazon Pop‑up Stores | 2014 | Temporary mall kiosks for devices. | |
| Fire Phone | 2014 | 3D smartphone with weak ecosystem. | |
| Prime Pantry | 2014 | Bulk pantry delivery program. | |
| Alexa / Echo | 2014 | Voice assistant and smart devices. | |
| Twitch | 2014 | Live streaming platform. | |
| Amiato | 2014 | NoSQL→Redshift data migration startup. | |
| Rooftop Media | 2014 | Comedy audio platform (to Audible). | |
| AmazonSmile | 2013 | Charitable donations from purchases. | |
| TenMarks Education | 2013 | K‑12 math edtech platform. | |
| Liquavista | 2013 | Electrowetting display technology. | |
| Amazon Cloud Player | 2012 | Music locker and importer. | |
| Amazon Advertising | 2012 | Ads business across Amazon properties. | |
| TeachStreet | 2012 | Marketplace for local/online classes. | |
| Avalon Books | 2012 | Romance/mystery publisher rights. | |
| MyHabit | 2011 | Flash‑sale fashion site. | |
| Amazon Local | 2011 | Daily deals marketplace. | |
| Amazon WebPay | 2011 | Peer‑to‑peer payments service. | |
| Amazon Test Drive | 2011 | Try Android apps in browser. | |
| Amazon Drive | 2011 | Consumer cloud storage service. | |
| Amazon Appstore | 2011 | Android/Fire OS app marketplace. | |
| Prime Video | 2011 | On‑demand video streaming. | |
| LoveFilm | 2011 | DVD‑by‑mail and streaming service. | |
| Yap | 2011 | Speech recognition startup. | |
| Amazon Webstores | 2010 | Hosted e‑commerce sites for sellers. | |
| Quidsi | 2010 | Diapers.com and related properties. | |
| Touchco | 2010 | Multitouch display tech acquisition. | |
| Amie Street | 2010 | Indie music store (assets). | |
| Amazon PayPhrase | 2009 | Faster checkout using phrases. | |
| Zappos | 2009 | Online shoe and apparel retailer. | |
| SnapTell | 2009 | Image recognition/mobile marketing. | |
| Audible | 2008 | Audiobooks and podcasts. | |
| Reflexive Entertainment | 2008 | Game portal and developer. | |
| Shelfari | 2008 | Book cataloging social site. | |
| Withoutabox | 2008 | Film festival submissions platform. | |
| Endless.com | 2007 | Shoes and accessories e‑commerce. | |
| Amazon Fresh’s Local Market Seller | 2007 | Third‑party local sellers within Fresh. | |
| Amazon Fresh | 2007 | Grocery delivery and stores. | |
| Amazon Music | 2007 | Digital music store and streaming. | |
| Kindle (devices) | 2007 | E‑reader hardware line. | |
| Kindle Direct Publishing | 2007 | Self‑publishing platform. | |
| Amazon Unbox | 2006 | Download‑to‑own video service. | |
| AWS (Amazon Web Services) | 2006 | Cloud infrastructure services. | |
| Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) | 2006 | Warehousing and fulfillment for sellers. | |
| TextPayMe | 2006 | Early peer‑to‑peer payments. | |
| Amazon Prime | 2005 | Membership with shipping and perks. | |
| BookSurge | 2005 | Print‑on‑demand book service. | |
| Mobipocket | 2005 | eBook format and reader. | |
| Egghead Software | 2001 | Computer retail brand/domain assets. | |
| Amazon Marketplace | 2000 | Third‑party seller platform. | |
| Amazon Auction | 1999 | eBay‑style auction marketplace. | |
| OurHouse.com | 1999 | Home goods e‑tailer investment. | |
| LiveBid.com | 1999 | Live auctions platform. | |
| MindCorps Incorporated | 1999 | Software consulting acquisition. | |
| Alexa.com | 1999 | Web traffic analytics site. | |
| Pets.com | 1998 | Online pet supplies investment. | |
| Kozmo.com | 1998 | One‑hour delivery investment. | |
| Bookpages | 1998 | UK online bookstore acquisition. | |
| PlanetAll | 1998 | Early social network acquisition. | |
| Junglee | 1998 | Price‑comparison site acquisition. | |
| Amazon.com | 1995 | E-commerce site and marketplace. | |
| Unnamed startup | 1989 | Send personalized news to professionals via fax. |
Total count: 96
Hit rate: ~20%