Amazon Exceeded 100m Paid Prime Members, CEO Bezos Says

(Bloomberg) -- Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos says 13 years post-launch, company has exceeded 100 million paid Prime members globally, according to letters to holders.

• In 2017 Amazon shipped more than five billion items with Prime worldwide and more new members joined Prime than in any previous year
• Adds 2017 was best year for hardware sales
• Says company will continue to invest aggressively to expand customer base, brand and infrastructure
• Letter is Bezos’s opportunity to underline long-term strategy for investors, seeking to bolster their confidence as he plows Amazon’s money into expanding internationally, building a brick-and-mortar presence, and inventing new products like Echo speakers and the Alexa voice-activated digital assistant
• Amazon is under fire from U.S. President Donald Trump who has complained it doesn’t pay its fair share of taxes and is hurting traditional retailers

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