Datastream
Amazon’s Most Notable Acquisitions to Date
The Briefing
- Amazon plans to acquire Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) for $8.45 billion
- This move would add 4,000 films and 17,000 TV shows to Amazon Studios’ content library
Amazon’s Most Notable Acquisitions To Date
Big Tech just keeps getting bigger.
On May 26, 2021, Amazon announced its plan to acquire Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) studios for $8.45 billion, making it the company’s second largest acquisition to date.
Amazon has acquired multiple companies across a variety of sectors from healthcare to entertainment, helping diversify its core revenue. In total, the tech giant has acquired or invested in over 128 different companies over the last 20 years.
Top 10 Amazon Acquisitions by Value
In 2017, Amazon paid $13.7 billion to purchase Whole Foods Market—this remains the company’s largest acquisition to date.
The Whole Foods acquisition provided brick-and-mortar space for Amazon to sell some of its flagship devices, like the Echo Dot. It also allowed Amazon to gather valuable shopping data on its customers, to better understand their offline shopping preferences.
Here’s how Amazon’s top 10 acquisitions by value stack up in comparison:
Rank | Company Acquired | Announced Date | Acquisition Value |
---|---|---|---|
#1 | Whole Foods Market | Jun 16, 2017 | $13.7 billion |
#2 | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | May 26, 2021 | $8.5 billion |
#3 | Zoox | Jun 26, 2020 | $1.2 billion |
#4 | Zappos | Jul 22, 2009 | $1.2 billion |
#5 | Ring | Feb 27, 2018 | $970 million |
#6 | PillPack | Jun 28, 2018 | $839 million |
#7 | Twitch | Aug 25, 2014 | $775 million |
#8 | Kiva Systems | Mar 19, 2012 | $753 million |
#9 | Souq | Mar 27, 2017 | $580 million |
#10 | Quidsi | Nov 8, 2010 | $545 million |
Prior to Wednesday’s announcement, the purchase of robotaxi company Zoox was Amazon’s second largest acquisition. According to their reported agreement, Amazon has the rights to use Zoox’s transport technology for ride-hailing or logistics (delivery) services.
The acquisition of MGM will add 21,000 films and TV shows to Amazon’s content library, helping Amazon keep up with the fierce competition in the content streaming industry. MGM owns the rights to “The Handmaid’s Tale” series and “Shark Tank,” as well as the James Bond and Rocky franchises.
Full List: Amazon’s Most Notable Acquisitions
While far from exhaustive, here’s a look at some of Amazon’s most notable acquisitions since 1998, as shown in the graphic:
Year | Company Acquired | Acquisition Value | Post-Acquisition Status |
---|---|---|---|
1998 | IMDb | $55,000,000 | Active under own name |
1999 | LiveBid.com | $300,000,000 | Incorporated/defunct |
1999 | PlanetAll | $280,000,000 | Incorporated/defunct |
1999 | Alexa Internet | $250,000,000 | Active under own name |
1999 | Junglee | $250,000,000 | Incorporated/defunct |
2008 | Audible | $300,000,000 | Active under own name |
2009 | Zappos | $1,200,000,000 | Active under own name |
2010 | Quidsi | $545,000,000 | Incorporated/defunct |
2011 | LoveFilm | $312,000,000 | Incorporated/defunct |
2012 | Kiva Systems | $775,000,000 | Incorporated/defunct |
2014 | Twitch Interactive | $970,000,000 | Active under own name |
2015 | Elemental Technologies | $500,000,000 | Incorporated/defunct |
2015 | Annapurna Labs | $350,000,000 | Incorporated/defunct |
2017 | Whole Foods Market | $13,700,000,000 | Active under own name |
2017 | Souq.com | $580,000,000 | Incorporated/defunct |
2018 | Ring | $839,000,000 | Active under own name |
2018 | PillPack | $753,000,000 | Active under own name |
2019 | CloudEndure | $250,000,000 | Incorporated/defunct |
2019 | Eero | $97,000,000 | Incorporated/defunct |
2020 | Zoox | $1,200,000,000 | Active under own name |
2021 | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | $8,450,000,000 | Active under own name |
»Like this? Then you might enjoy this full length article on the Biggest Tech Mergers and Acquisitions of 2020
Where does this data come from?
Source: Crunchbase
Notes: Values are in $USD, non-inflation adjusted
Economy
Charted: Public Trust in the Federal Reserve
Public trust in the Federal Reserve chair has hit its lowest point in 20 years. Get the details in this infographic.

The Briefing
- Gallup conducts an annual poll to gauge the U.S. public’s trust in the Federal Reserve
- After rising during the COVID-19 pandemic, public trust has fallen to a 20-year low
Charted: Public Trust in the Federal Reserve
Each year, Gallup conducts a survey of American adults on various economic topics, including the country’s central bank, the Federal Reserve.
More specifically, respondents are asked how much confidence they have in the current Fed chairman to do or recommend the right thing for the U.S. economy. We’ve visualized these results from 2001 to 2023 to see how confidence levels have changed over time.
Methodology and Results
The data used in this infographic is also listed in the table below. Percentages reflect the share of respondents that have either a “great deal” or “fair amount” of confidence.
Year | Fed chair | % Great deal or Fair amount |
---|---|---|
2023 | Jerome Powell | 36% |
2022 | Jerome Powell | 43% |
2021 | Jerome Powell | 55% |
2020 | Jerome Powell | 58% |
2019 | Jerome Powell | 50% |
2018 | Jerome Powell | 45% |
2017 | Janet Yellen | 45% |
2016 | Janet Yellen | 38% |
2015 | Janet Yellen | 42% |
2014 | Janet Yellen | 37% |
2013 | Ben Bernanke | 42% |
2012 | Ben Bernanke | 39% |
2011 | Ben Bernanke | 41% |
2010 | Ben Bernanke | 44% |
2009 | Ben Bernanke | 49% |
2008 | Ben Bernanke | 47% |
2007 | Ben Bernanke | 50% |
2006 | Ben Bernanke | 41% |
2005 | Alan Greenspan | 56% |
2004 | Alan Greenspan | 61% |
2003 | Alan Greenspan | 65% |
2002 | Alan Greenspan | 69% |
2001 | Alan Greenspan | 74% |
Data for 2023 collected April 3-25, with this statement put to respondents: “Please tell me how much confidence you have [in the Fed chair] to recommend the right thing for the economy.”
We can see that trust in the Federal Reserve has fluctuated significantly in recent years.
For example, under Alan Greenspan, trust was initially high due to the relative stability of the economy. The burst of the dotcom bubble—which some attribute to Greenspan’s easy credit policies—resulted in a sharp decline.
On the flip side, public confidence spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was likely due to Jerome Powell’s decisive actions to provide support to the U.S. economy throughout the crisis.
Measures implemented by the Fed include bringing interest rates to near zero, quantitative easing (buying government bonds with newly-printed money), and emergency lending programs to businesses.
Confidence Now on the Decline
After peaking at 58%, those with a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in the Fed chair have tumbled to 36%, the lowest number in 20 years.
This is likely due to Powell’s hard stance on fighting post-pandemic inflation, which has involved raising interest rates at an incredible speed. While these rate hikes may be necessary, they also have many adverse effects:
- Negative impact on the stock market
- Increases the burden for those with variable-rate debts
- Makes mortgages and home buying less affordable
Higher rates have also prompted many U.S. tech companies to shrink their workforces, and have been a factor in the regional banking crisis, including the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank.
Where does this data come from?
Source: Gallup (2023)
Data Notes: Results are based on telephone interviews conducted April 3-25, 2023, with a random sample of –1,013—adults, ages 18+, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. For results based on this sample of national adults, the margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. See source for details.
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