Jeff Bezos started Amazon in 1995.

Judge as of the date the claim was made. The claim is that Bezos started Amazon in 1995. True: authoritative records (Amazon's SEC filings such as the S-1/10-K, or the company's official history) show Amazon was founded or started by Bezos in 1995, or launched its public operations in 1995 in a way that matches the ordinary meaning of 'started the company'. Mostly true: the records show Bezos founded the company in 1994 (incorporation in July 1994 as Cadabra) and Amazon.com opened to the public in July 1995. In that case 1995 is a defensible date for when the business started, but the year is slightly off for when the company was founded. Mixed does not apply, because the claim is a single fact. Mostly false: Bezos founded it, but the year is more than one year away from 1995. False: Bezos did not found Amazon, or the founding and launch dates both fall well outside 1994–1995.

Set before the research began.

1. E1 0000891020-99-000375.txt (Amazon.com, Inc. Form 10-K for year ended December 31, 1998) U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (filed by Amazon.com, Inc.)

   “We incorporated in July 1994 and began offering products for sale on our Web site in July 1995.”

2. E2 Anniversaries, controversies for Amazon The 1995 blog · 15 July 2014

   “Almost no one noticed when Amazon — incorporated in July 1994 as Cadabra Inc. — started selling books at its Web site on July 16, 1995.”

3. E3 Amazon: The Early Years (1995-1999) HistoryLink.org (Washington State history encyclopedia) · 4 July 2025

   “Amazon.com officially launched on July 16, 1995, selling $12,000 worth of books in its first week.”

4. E4 Bezos' Amazon: from bookstore to backbone of the internet The Verge · 3 February 2021

   “In 1994, hedge fund vice president Jeff Bezos, 30, quit his job at D. E. Shaw & Co. to found an internet-based bookstore. It launched in July 1995;”

Amazon's 1998 Form 10-K says the company was incorporated in July 1994 and began selling products on its website in July 1995 (E1). Independent accounts agree. E2 reports that it was incorporated as Cadabra Inc. in July 1994 and started selling books on July 16, 1995. E4 says Bezos quit his job in 1994 to found an internet-based bookstore and that it launched in July 1995, and E3 confirms the July 16, 1995 launch. The criteria assign 'mostly true' to this exact pattern: 1995 is a defensible start date for the business, but the company was founded in 1994.