Noelle has been writing for online publications for over five years with a focus on entertainment and technology, with bylines at CBR, Dexerto, and JustWatch. Her lifelong interest in technology began when her father introduced her to computer games as a child, opening up a new world of innovation.
Amazon is known for being in the business of just about everything, thanks to its online store and the conglomerate's massive reach. It's one of the biggest companies on the planet and among the only ones to exceed $2 trillion in market value, only surpassed by Nvidia, Apple, Alphabet, and Microsoft.
It just keeps getting bigger with new acquisitions in areas ranging from film to tech to healthcare. While some of these companies are incorporated into Amazon's existing offerings, others keep their names and continue operations as subsidiaries. Some of Amazon's subsidiaries are pretty obvious. For example, Audible includes"an Amazon company" in its logo, complete with the company's familiar smile arrow, and ComiXology is fully integrated into Amazon's storefront and has retired its original mobile app in favor of the Kindle app. However, the corporation is behind far more brands than you might realize, ranging from popular websites to supermarkets to home security systems.Starting off with one of the better-known ones, Amazon has owned the livestreaming service Twitch since 2014. Amazon acquired the platform for $970 million months after the viral sensation"Twitch Plays Pokémon," a stream that used the chat to control the"Pokémon Red" game with bizarre and hilarious results."Twitch Plays Pokémon" received over 36 million total views, peaking at 121,000 concurrent viewers, and still holds the Guinness World Record for the most participants on a single-player online video game with 1,165,140. Since then, Twitch has exploded in popularity, changing the entertainment landscape and turning playing video games into an actual job. When Amazon purchased it in August 2014, Twitch averaged 392,000 concurrent viewers; in February 2026, the average was 2.11 million.to Twitch users who have Amazon Prime. If you link your Twitch account to Prime Gaming, you'll get a free monthly subscription to the streamer of your choice. That unlocks ad-free streams, channel-specific benefits, and additional chat options.IMDb was actually one of Amazon's earliest acquisitions way back in 1998, when it paid $55 million for the online database along with two other companies. The website, which is full of information about films, TV shows, video games, and more, along with details on the actors and creatives behind them, had been operating independently since 1990. It was founded by Col Needham, a British film buff who started the website as a personal project and continued to serve as its CEO until stepping down in 2025. Needham still serves as IMDb executive chair, making him one of Amazon's longest-tenured employees. If you're a Prime Video user, you've probably noticed that the video player allows you to see the names of the actors in the scene. That information all comes from IMDb, where you probably were going to go anyway to find out where you know that actor from. It's a small feature that helps set Prime Video apart in a saturated streaming market.Supermarket chain Whole Foods Market is another company you may not have realized is owned by Amazon. The retailer is known for focusing on organic and non-processed foods, boasting its high standards for things like artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives. Founded in 1980, the company made various acquisitions of its own before being purchased in 2017 for $13.7 billion, making it Amazon's largest purchase to date. At the time, Amazon cited a desire to make healthy and organic food more affordable and lowered prices in the days following the deal's announcement. Amazon Prime members get some benefits for shopping at Whole Foods, including extra discounts and the option to order your groceries online for free in-store pickup. Depending on where you live, you might also be able to get your order delivered from one of its 500 locations across North America, plus a handful in the United Kingdom.After Whole Foods, Amazon's second biggest acquisition is Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc, the film production and distribution company you probably know as MGM or for the roaring lion mascot that terrifies children before the movie starts. MGM has a long history dating back to 1924 and the silent film era, with a massive catalogue that includes iconic movies like"The Silence of the Lambs,""The Wizard of Oz," and"Legally Blonde." It started seeking a buyer in late 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which shuttered movie theaters, delayed film releases, and gave a huge boost to streaming. Amazon purchased MGM for $8.5 billion in May 2022, giving the company control of major franchises like"James Bond" and"Rocky." Under the new name of Amazon MGM Studios, it has already released dozens of films, including Academy Award nominees"American Fiction" and"Nickel Boys." However, the studio itself has been impacted byand other home security and smart home devices. Originally a start-up founded by Jamie Siminoff under the name"Doorbot," the company appeared on a 2013"Shark Tank" episode, though Siminoff did not accept a deal from any of the Sharks. After a rebranding, Amazon purchased Ring for $839 million in 2018, a year after purchasing its competitor: Blink Home. Ring is popular for the peace of mind it provides by allowing users to monitor their doorstep from a smartphone. However, it's also been thefollowing backlash to a Super Bowl ad that showed Ring using AI to find missing dogs, sparking worries about how else that technology would be used and leading some to return their Ring devices.
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