Amazon.com (AMZN) 10-Q 25 Apr 14 2014 Q1 Quarterly report Financial data

Document_and_Entity_Informatio

Document and Entity Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Apr. 16, 2014
Document Type	'10-Q	'
Amendment Flag	'false	'
Document Period End Date	31-Mar-14	'
Document Fiscal Year Focus	'2014	'
Document Fiscal Period Focus	'Q1	'
Trading Symbol	'AMZN	'
Entity Registrant Name	'AMAZON COM INC	'
Entity Central Index Key	'0001018724	'
Current Fiscal Year End Date	'--12-31	'
Entity Filer Category	'Large Accelerated Filer	'
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	'	460,167,404

Consolidated_Statements_Of_Cas

Consolidated Statements Of Cash Flows (USD $)	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, BEGINNING OF PERIOD	$8,658	$8,084	$4,481	$2,288
OPERATING ACTIVITIES:	'	'	'	'
Net income (loss)	108	82	299	-87
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash from operating activities:	'	'	'	'
Depreciation of property and equipment, including internal-use software and website development, and other amortization	1,010	700	3,563	2,402
Stock-based compensation	321	229	1,226	901
Other operating expense (income), net	35	31	117	139
Losses (gains) on sales of marketable securities, net	0	0	2	-7
Other expense (income), net	-50	68	48	306
Deferred income taxes	-185	-80	-261	-307
Excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation	-121	0	-199	-390
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:	'	'	'	'
Inventories	699	535	-1,245	-1,211
Accounts receivable, net and other	727	729	-849	-877
Accounts payable	-4,675	-4,187	1,400	2,141
Accrued expenses and other	-731	-703	708	864
Additions to unearned revenue	1,092	684	3,100	2,083
Amortization of previously unearned revenue	-732	-460	-2,564	-1,712
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities	-2,502	-2,372	5,345	4,245
INVESTING ACTIVITIES:	'	'	'	'
Purchases of property and equipment, including internal-use software and website development	-1,080	-670	-3,854	-4,068
Acquisitions, net of cash acquired, and other	0	-103	-208	-798
Sales and maturities of marketable securities and other investments	593	599	2,299	3,098
Purchases of marketable securities and other investments	-437	-776	-2,487	-3,227
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities	-924	-950	-4,250	-4,995
FINANCING ACTIVITIES:	'	'	'	'
Excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation	121	0	199	390
Proceeds from long-term debt and other	65	25	426	3,319
Repayments of long-term debt, capital lease, and finance lease obligations	-361	-182	-1,182	-603
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	-175	-157	-557	3,106
Foreign-currency effect on cash and cash equivalents	17	-124	55	-163
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	-3,584	-3,603	593	2,193
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, END OF PERIOD	5,074	4,481	5,074	4,481
SUPPLEMENTAL CASH FLOW INFORMATION:	'	'	'	'
Cash paid for interest on long-term debt	18	13	102	37
Cash paid for income taxes (net of refunds)	38	86	121	179
Assets Held under Capital Leases	'	'	'	'
SUPPLEMENTAL CASH FLOW INFORMATION:	'	'	'	'
Property and equipment acquired	716	340	2,243	993
Assets Held under Build-To-Suit Leases	'	'	'	'
SUPPLEMENTAL CASH FLOW INFORMATION:	'	'	'	'
Property and equipment acquired	$126	$150	$852	$163

Consolidated_Statements_Of_Ope

Consolidated Statements Of Operations (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Net product sales	$15,705	$13,271
Net services sales	4,036	2,799
Total net sales	19,741	16,070
Operating expenses	'	'
Cost of sales	14,055	11,801
Fulfillment	2,317	1,796
Marketing	870	632
Technology and content	1,991	1,383
General and administrative	327	246
Other operating expense (income), net	35	31
Total operating expenses	19,595	15,889
Income from operations	146	181
Interest income	11	10
Interest expense	-42	-33
Other income (expense), net	5	-77
Total non-operating income (expense)	-26	-100
Income before income taxes	120	81
Benefit (provision) for income taxes	-73	18
Equity-method investment activity, net of tax	61	-17
Net income	$108	$82
Basic earnings per share (in usd per share)	$0.23	$0.18
Diluted earnings per share (in usd per share)	$0.23	$0.18
Weighted average shares used in computation of earnings per share:	'	'
Basic (in shares)	460	455
Diluted (in shares)	468	463

Consolidated_Statements_Of_Ope1

Consolidated Statements Of Operations (Parenthetical) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Fulfillment	'	'
Stock-based compensation	$81	$61
Marketing	'	'
Stock-based compensation	27	16
Technology and content	'	'
Stock-based compensation	169	120
General and administrative	'	'
Stock-based compensation	$44	$32

Consolidated_Statements_Of_Com

Consolidated Statements Of Comprehensive Income (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Net income	$108	$82
Other comprehensive income (loss):	'	'
Foreign currency translation adjustments, net of tax of $0 and $(9)	27	-78
Net change in unrealized gains on available-for-sale securities:	'	'
Unrealized gains (losses), net of tax of $(1) and $1	1	-2
Reclassification adjustment for losses (gains) included in “Other income (expense), net,” net of tax of $0 and $0	0	0
Net unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale securities	1	-2
Total other comprehensive income (loss)	28	-80
Comprehensive income	$136	$2

Consolidated_Statements_Of_Com1

Consolidated Statements Of Comprehensive Income (Parenthetical) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]	'	'
Foreign currency translation adjustments, tax	$0	($9)
Unrealized gains (losses), tax	-1	1
Reclassification adjustment for losses (gains) included in other income (expense), net, tax	$0	$0

Consolidated_Balance_Sheets

Consolidated Balance Sheets (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
Current assets:	'	'
Cash and cash equivalents	$5,074	$8,658
Marketable securities	3,592	3,789
Inventories	6,716	7,411
Accounts receivable, net and other	3,945	4,767
Total current assets	19,327	24,625
Property and equipment, net	12,267	10,949
Goodwill	2,653	2,655
Other assets	2,117	1,930
Total assets	36,364	40,159
Current liabilities:	'	'
Accounts payable	10,590	15,133
Accrued expenses and other	6,251	6,688
Unearned revenue	1,516	1,159
Total current liabilities	18,357	22,980
Long-term debt	3,147	3,191
Other long-term liabilities	4,532	4,242
Commitments and contingencies	'	'
Stockholders’ equity:	'	'
Preferred stock, $0.01 par value: Authorized shares - 500 Issued and outstanding shares - none	0	0
Common stock, $0.01 par value: Authorized shares - 5,000 Issued shares - 484 and 483 Outstanding shares - 460 and 459	5	5
Treasury stock, at cost	-1,837	-1,837
Additional paid-in capital	10,019	9,573
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	-157	-185
Retained earnings	2,298	2,190
Total stockholders’ equity	10,328	9,746
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity	$36,364	$40,159

Consolidated_Balance_Sheets_Pa

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]	'	'
Preferred stock, par value (in usd per share)	$0.01	$0.01
Preferred stock, Authorized shares	500,000,000	500,000,000
Preferred stock, Issued shares	0	0
Preferred stock, Outstanding shares	0	0
Common stock, par value (in usd per share)	$0.01	$0.01
Common stock, Authorized shares	5,000,000,000	5,000,000,000
Common stock, Issued shares	484,000,000	483,000,000
Common stock, Outstanding shares	460,000,000	459,000,000

Accounting_Policies

Accounting Policies	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Accounting Policies [Abstract]	'
Accounting Policies	'
	ACCOUNTING POLICIES
	Unaudited Interim Financial Information
	We have prepared the accompanying consolidated financial statements pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) for interim financial reporting. These consolidated financial statements are unaudited and, in our opinion, include all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring adjustments and accruals necessary for a fair presentation of our consolidated balance sheets, operating results, and cash flows for the periods presented. Operating results for the periods presented are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for 2014 due to seasonal and other factors. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”) have been omitted in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC. These consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes in Item 8 of Part II, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data,” of our 2013 Annual Report on Form 10-K.
	Principles of Consolidation
	The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Amazon.com, Inc., its wholly-owned subsidiaries, and those entities in which we have a variable interest and of which we are the primary beneficiary (collectively, the “Company”). Intercompany balances and transactions between consolidated entities are eliminated.
	Use of Estimates
	The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosures of contingent liabilities in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Estimates are used for, but not limited to, determining the selling price of products and services in multiple element revenue arrangements and determining the lives of these elements, incentive discount offers, sales returns, vendor funding, stock-based compensation forfeiture rates, income taxes, valuation and impairment of investments, inventory valuation and inventory purchase commitments, collectability of receivables, valuation of acquired intangibles and goodwill, depreciable lives of property and equipment, internal-use software and website development costs, acquisition purchase price allocations, investments in equity interests, and contingencies. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates.
	Earnings per Share
	Basic earnings per share is calculated using our weighted-average outstanding common shares. Diluted earnings per share is calculated using our weighted-average outstanding common shares including the dilutive effect of stock awards as determined under the treasury stock method. In periods when we recognize a net loss, we exclude the impact of outstanding stock awards from the diluted loss per share calculation as their inclusion would have an antidilutive effect.
	The following table shows the calculation of diluted shares (in millions):
		Three Months Ended
		March 31,
		2014	2013
	Shares used in computation of basic earnings per share	460	455
	Total dilutive effect of outstanding stock awards	8	8
	Shares used in computation of diluted earnings per share	468	463
	Equity-method Investments
	Equity investments are accounted for using the equity method of accounting if the investment gives us the ability to exercise significant influence, but not control, over an investee. The total of our investments in equity-method investees, including identifiable intangible assets, deferred tax liabilities, and goodwill, is included within “Other assets” on our consolidated balance sheets. Our share of the earnings or losses as reported by equity-method investees, amortization of the related intangible assets, and related gains or losses, if any, are classified as “Equity-method investment activity, net of tax” on our consolidated statements of operations. Our share of the net income or loss of our equity-method investees includes operating and non-operating gains and charges, which can have a significant impact on our reported equity-method investment activity and the carrying value of those investments. In the event that net losses of the investee reduce our equity-method investment carrying amount to zero, additional net losses may be recorded if other investments in the investee, not accounted for under the equity method, are at-risk even if we have not committed to provide financial support to the investee. We regularly evaluate these investments, which are not carried at fair value, for other-than-temporary impairment. We also consider whether our equity-method investments generate sufficient cash flows from their operating or financing activities to meet their obligations and repay their liabilities when they come due.
	We record purchases, including incremental purchases, of shares in equity-method investees at cost. Reductions in our ownership percentage of an investee, including through dilution, are generally valued at fair value, with the difference between fair value and our recorded cost reflected as a gain or loss in our equity-method investment activity. In the event we no longer have the ability to exercise significant influence over an equity-method investee, we would discontinue accounting for the investment under the equity method.

Cash_Cash_Equivalents_and_Mark

Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Marketable Securities	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Investments, Debt and Equity Securities [Abstract]	'
Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Marketable Securities	'
	CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND MARKETABLE SECURITIES
	As of March 31, 2014, and December 31, 2013, our cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities primarily consisted of cash, U.S. and foreign government and agency securities, AAA-rated money market funds, and other investment grade securities. Cash equivalents and marketable securities are recorded at fair value. Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. To increase the comparability of fair value measures, the following hierarchy prioritizes the inputs to valuation methodologies used to measure fair value:
	Level 1—Valuations based on quoted prices for identical assets and liabilities in active markets.
	Level 2—Valuations based on observable inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1, such as quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets and liabilities in markets that are not active, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data.
	Level 3—Valuations based on unobservable inputs reflecting our own assumptions, consistent with reasonably available assumptions made by other market participants. These valuations require significant judgment.
	We measure the fair value of money market funds and equity securities based on quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. All other financial instruments were valued either based on recent trades of securities in inactive markets or based on quoted market prices of similar instruments and other significant inputs derived from or corroborated by observable market data. We did not hold any cash, cash equivalents, or marketable securities categorized as Level 3 as of March 31, 2014 or December 31, 2013.
	The following table summarizes, by major security type, our cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis and are categorized using the fair value hierarchy (in millions):
		March 31, 2014										December 31, 2013
		Cost or		Gross		Gross			Total			Total
		Amortized		Unrealized		Unrealized			Estimated			Estimated
		Cost		Gains		Losses			Fair Value			Fair Value
	Cash	$	2,902	$	—	$	—		$	2,902		$	3,008
	Level 1 securities:
	Money market funds	2,490		—		—			2,490			5,914
	Equity securities	3		—		—			3			4
	Level 2 securities:
	Foreign government and agency securities	617		2		(1		)	618			758
	U.S. government and agency securities	2,128		2		(2		)	2,128			2,222
	Corporate debt securities	755		3		—			758			741
	Asset-backed securities	69		—		—			69			65
	Other fixed income securities	34		—		—			34			36
		$	8,998	$	7	$	(3	)	$	9,002		$	12,748
	Less: Restricted cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities (1)								(336		)	(301		)
	Total cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities								$	8,666		$	12,447
	___________________
	-1	We are required to pledge or otherwise restrict a portion of our cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities as collateral for standby and trade letters of credit, guarantees, debt, and real estate lease agreements. We classify cash and marketable securities with use restrictions of less than twelve months as “Accounts receivable, net and other” and of twelve months or longer as non-current “Other assets” on our consolidated balance sheets. See “Note 3 — Commitments and Contingencies.”
	The following table summarizes the contractual maturities of our cash equivalent and marketable fixed-income securities as of March 31, 2014 (in millions):
		Amortized		Estimated
		Cost		Fair Value
	Due within one year	$	3,951	$	3,953
	Due after one year through five years	1,781		1,784
	Due after five years through ten years	129		129
	Due after ten years	232		231
		$	6,093	$	6,097
	Actual maturities may differ from the contractual maturities because borrowers may have certain prepayment conditions.

Commitments_and_Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Commitments and Contingencies	'
	COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
	Commitments
	We have entered into non-cancellable operating, capital, and financing leases for equipment and office, fulfillment center, and data center facilities. Rental expense under operating lease agreements was $219 million and $168 million for Q1 2014 and Q1 2013.
	The following summarizes our principal contractual commitments, excluding open orders for purchases that support normal operations, as of March 31, 2014 (in millions):
		Nine Months Ended December 31,		Year Ended December 31,
		2014		2015		2016		2017		2018		Thereafter		Total
	Operating and capital commitments:
	Debt principal and interest	$	482	$	1,252	$	81	$	1,081	$	69	$	1,375	$	4,340
	Capital leases, including interest	857		1,246		539		115		59		121		2,937
	Financing lease obligations, including interest	37		48		48		49		49		496		727
	Operating leases	679		697		655		582		514		2,241		5,368
	Unconditional purchase obligations (1)	412		439		137		55		51		50		1,144
	Other commitments (2) (3)	586		419		194		157		128		1,369		2,853
	Total commitments	$	3,053	$	4,101	$	1,654	$	2,039	$	870	$	5,652	$	17,369
	___________________
	-1	Includes unconditional purchase obligations related to agreements to acquire and license digital video content that represent long-term liabilities or are not reflected on the consolidated balance sheets. For those agreements with variable terms, we do not estimate what the total obligation may be beyond any minimum quantities and/or pricing as of the reporting date. Purchase obligations associated with renewal provisions solely at the option of the content provider are included to the extent such commitments are fixed or a minimum amount is specified.
	-2	Includes the estimated timing and amounts of payments for rent and tenant improvements associated with build-to-suit lease arrangements that have not been placed in service.
	-3	Excludes $455 million of tax contingencies for which we cannot make a reasonably reliable estimate of the amount and period of payment, if any.
	Pledged Assets
	As of March 31, 2014, and December 31, 2013, we have pledged or otherwise restricted $505 million and $482 million of our cash, marketable securities, and certain property and equipment as collateral for standby and trade letters of credit, guarantees, debt, and real estate leases.
	Legal Proceedings
	The Company is involved from time to time in claims, proceedings, and litigation, including the matters described in Item 8 of Part II, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data — Note 8 — Commitments and Contingencies — Legal Proceedings” of our 2013 Annual Report on Form 10-K, as supplemented by the following:
	In November 2012, Lexington Luminance LLC filed a complaint against Amazon.com, Inc. and Amazon Digital Services, Inc. in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. The complaint alleges, among other things, that certain light-emitting diodes in certain Kindle devices infringe U.S. Patent No. 6,936,851, entitled “Semiconductor Light-Emitting Device And Method For Manufacturing Same.” The complaint seeks an unspecified amount of damages and an injunction or, in the absence of an injunction, a compulsory ongoing royalty. In March 2014, the Court invalidated the plaintiff’s patent and dismissed the case with prejudice, and the plaintiff appealed the judgment to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. We dispute the allegations of wrongdoing and intend to defend ourselves vigorously in this matter.
	In May 2013, Adaptix, Inc. filed a complaint against Amazon.com, Inc. in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. The complaint alleges, among other things, that certain Kindle devices infringe U.S. Patent Nos. 7,454,212 and 6,947,748, both entitled “OFDMA With Adaptive Subcarrier-Cluster Configuration And Selective Loading.” The complaint seeks an unspecified amount of damages, interest, injunctive relief, and attorneys’ fees. In March 2014, the case was transferred to the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. We dispute the allegations of wrongdoing and intend to defend ourselves vigorously in this matter.
	In August 2013, Cellular Communications Equipment, LLC filed a complaint against Amazon.com, Inc. in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. The complaint alleges, among other things, that certain Kindle devices infringe U.S. Patent Nos.: 6,819,923, entitled "Method For Communication Of Neighbor Cell Information"; 7,215,962, entitled "Method For An Intersystem Connection Handover"; 7,941,174, entitled "Method For Multicode Transmission By A Subscriber Station"; and 8,055,820 entitled "Apparatus, System, And Method For Designating A Buffer Status Reporting Format Based On Detected Pre-Selected Buffer Conditions." In March 2014, the plaintiff filed an amended complaint that alleges, among other things, that certain Kindle devices infringe U.S. Patent No. 8,055,820, entitled “Apparatus, System, And Method For Designating A Buffer Status Reporting Format Based On Detected Pre-Selected Buffer Conditions.” The amended complaint seeks an unspecified amount of damages and interest.  We dispute the allegations of wrongdoing and intend to defend ourselves vigorously in this matter.
	Beginning in August 2013, a number of complaints were filed alleging, among other things, that Amazon.com, Inc. and several of its subsidiaries failed to compensate hourly workers for time spent waiting in security lines and otherwise violated federal and state wage and hour statutes and common law.  In August 2013, Busk v. Integrity Staffing Solutions, Inc. and Amazon.com, Inc. was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Nevada, and Vance v. Amazon.com, Inc., Zappos.com Inc., another affiliate of Amazon.com, Inc., and Kelly Services, Inc. was filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky.  In September 2013, Allison v. Amazon.com, Inc. and Integrity Staffing Solutions, Inc. was filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington, and Johnson v. Amazon.com, Inc. and an affiliate of Amazon.com, Inc. was filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky.  In October 2013, Davis v. Amazon.com, Inc., an affiliate of Amazon.com, Inc., and Integrity Staffing Solutions, Inc. was filed in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee.  The plaintiffs variously purport to represent a nationwide class of certain current and former employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act and/or state-law-based subclasses for certain current and former employees in states including Arizona, California, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Kentucky, and Nevada, and one complaint asserts nationwide breach of contract and unjust enrichment claims.  The complaints seek an unspecified amount of damages, interest, injunctive relief, and attorneys’ fees.  We have been named in several other similar cases.  In March 2014, the United States Supreme Court granted review of the Busk case. The cases filed in federal court have been stayed pending that review. We dispute the allegations of wrongdoing and intend to defend ourselves vigorously in these matters.
	In December 2013, ContentGuard Holdings, Inc. filed a complaint against Amazon.com, Inc. for patent infringement in the United States District Court for Eastern District of Texas. The complaint alleges, among other things, that certain digital rights management software used by various Kindle Fire software applications, including the Kindle Reader and Amazon Instant Video, infringe seven U.S. Patents:  Nos. 6,963,859, entitled “Content Rendering Repository"; 7,523,072, entitled “System For Controlling The Distribution And Use Of Digital Works"; 7,269,576, entitled “Content Rendering Apparatus"; 8,370,956, entitled “System And Method For Rendering Digital Content In Accordance With Usage Rights Information"; 8,393,007, entitled “System And Method For Distributing Digital Content In Accordance With Usage Rights Information"; 7,225,160, entitled “Digital Works Having Usage Rights And Method For Creating The Same"; and 8,583,556, entitled “Method For Providing A Digital Asset For Distribution.”  In January 2014, ContentGuard filed an amended complaint that, among other things, added HTC Corporation and HTC America as defendants. The complaint seeks an unspecified amount of damages, an injunction, enhanced damages, attorneys’ fees, costs, and interest. We dispute the allegations of wrongdoing and intend to defend ourselves vigorously in this matter.
	In March 2014, Kaavo, Inc. filed a complaint against Amazon.com, Inc. and Amazon Web Services, Inc. for patent infringement in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware. The complaint alleges, among other things, that Amazon Web Services’ Elastic Beanstalk and CloudFormation infringe U.S. Patent No. 8,271,974, entitled “Cloud Computing Lifecycle Management For N-Tier Applications.” The complaint seeks injunctive relief, an unspecified amount of monetary damages, costs, and interest. We dispute the allegations of wrongdoing and intend to defend ourselves vigorously in this matter.
	In March 2014, CRFD Research, Inc. filed a complaint against Amazon.com, Inc. and Amazon Web Services, Inc. in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware.  The complaint alleges, among other things, that (1) Amazon Instant Video, Amazon Prime, Amazon Cloud Player, Amazon Games, Amazon GameCircle, and Amazon Whispersync infringe U.S. Patent No. 7,191,233, entitled “System for Automated, Mid-Session, User-Directed, Device-to-Device Session Transfer System”; and (2) Elastic Compute Cloud, Simple Storage Service, CloudFront, and AWS Marketplace infringe U.S. Patent No. 7,574,486, entitled “Web Page Content Translator.”  The complaint seeks an unspecified amount of damages, interest, attorneys’ fees, and an injunction.  We dispute the allegations of wrongdoing and intend to defend ourselves vigorously in this matter.
	The outcomes of our legal proceedings are inherently unpredictable, subject to significant uncertainties, and could be material to our operating results and cash flows for a particular period.  In addition, for some matters for which a loss is probable or reasonably possible, an estimate of the amount of loss or range of loss is not possible and we may be unable to estimate the possible loss or range of losses that could potentially result from the application of non-monetary remedies.
	See also “Note 7 — Income Taxes.”

EquityMethod_Investments

Equity-Method Investments	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Equity Method Investments and Joint Ventures [Abstract]	'
Equity-Method Investments	'
	EQUITY-METHOD INVESTMENTS
	LivingSocial’s summarized condensed financial information, as provided to us by LivingSocial, is as follows (in millions):
		Three Months Ended
		March 31,
		2014			2013
	Statement of Operations:
	Revenue	$	77		$	108
	Gross profit	62			82
	Operating expenses	98			107
	Operating loss from continuing operations	(36		)	(25		)
	Net loss from continuing operations	(26		)	(26		)
	Net income (loss) from discontinued operations (1)	203			(19		)
	Net income (loss)	$	177		$	(45	)
	___________________
	-1	In January 2014, LivingSocial completed the sale of its Korean operations for approximately $260 million and recognized a gain on disposal of $205 million, net of tax. The statement of operations information above has been recast to present the Korean operations as discontinued operations.
	As of March 31, 2014, our total investment in LivingSocial is approximately 31% of voting stock and has a book value of $100 million.

LongTerm_Debt

Long-Term Debt	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Long-Term Debt	'
	LONG-TERM DEBT
	In November 2012, we issued $3.0 billion of unsecured senior notes in three tranches as described in the table below (collectively, the “Notes”). As of March 31, 2014, and December 31, 2013, the unamortized discount on the Notes was $22 million and $23 million. We also have other long-term debt with a carrying amount, including the current portion, of $953 million and $967 million as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013. The face value of our total long-term debt obligations is as follows (in millions):
		31-Mar-14			31-Dec-13
	0.65% Notes due on November 27, 2015	$	750		$	750
	1.20% Notes due on November 29, 2017	1,000			1,000
	2.50% Notes due on November 29, 2022	1,250			1,250
	Other long-term debt	953			967
	Total debt	3,953			3,967
	Less current portion of long-term debt	(784		)	(753		)
	Face value of long-term debt	$	3,169		$	3,214
	The effective interest rates of the 2015, 2017, and 2022 Notes were 0.84%, 1.38%, and 2.66%. Interest on the Notes is payable semi-annually in arrears in May and November. We may redeem the Notes at any time in whole, or from time to time, in part at specified redemption prices. We are not subject to any financial covenants under the Notes. We used the net proceeds from the issuance of the Notes for general corporate purposes. The estimated fair value of the Notes was approximately $2.9 billion as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, which is based on quoted prices for our publicly-traded debt as of those dates.
	The other debt, including the current portion, had a weighted average interest rate of 5.6% and 5.5% as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013. We used the net proceeds from the issuance of the debt to primarily fund certain international operations. The estimated fair value of the other long-term debt, which is based on Level 2 inputs, approximated its carrying value as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013.

Stockholders_Equity

Stockholders' Equity	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Equity [Abstract]	'
Stockholders' Equity	'
	STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
	Stock Repurchase Activity
	In January 2010, our Board of Directors authorized the Company to repurchase up to $2.0 billion of our common stock with no fixed expiration. We have $763 million remaining under the $2.0 billion repurchase program.
	Stock Award Activity
	Common shares outstanding plus shares underlying outstanding stock awards totaled 476 million as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013. These totals include all vested and unvested stock awards outstanding, including those awards we estimate will be forfeited. The following table summarizes our restricted stock unit activity for the three months ended March 31, 2014 (in millions):
		Number of Units		Weighted Average
				Grant-Date
				Fair Value
	Outstanding as of December 31, 2013	16.3		$	233
	Units granted	0.8		366
	Units vested	(0.9	)	174
	Units forfeited	(0.5	)	237
	Outstanding as of March 31, 2014	15.7		$	243
	Scheduled vesting for outstanding restricted stock units as of March 31, 2014, is as follows (in millions):
		Nine Months Ended December 31,		Year Ended December 31,
		2014		2015		2016	2017	2018	Thereafter	Total
	Scheduled vesting—restricted stock units	4.5		5.7		3.4	1.8	0.2	0.1	15.7
	As of March 31, 2014, there was $1.6 billion of net unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested stock-based compensation arrangements. This compensation is recognized on an accelerated basis with approximately half of the compensation expected to be expensed in the next twelve months, and has a weighted average recognition period of 1.1 years.

Income_Taxes

Income Taxes	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Income Taxes	'
	INCOME TAXES
	Our tax provision or benefit from income taxes for interim periods is determined using an estimate of our annual effective tax rate, adjusted for discrete items, if any, that are taken into account in the relevant period. Each quarter we update our estimate of the annual effective tax rate, and if our estimated tax rate changes, we make a cumulative adjustment.
	Our quarterly tax provision, and our quarterly estimate of our annual effective tax rate, is subject to significant variation due to several factors, including variability in accurately predicting our pre-tax and taxable income and loss and the mix of jurisdictions to which they relate, changes in how we do business, acquisitions (including integrations) and investments, audit developments, foreign currency gains (losses), changes in law, regulations, and administrative practices, and relative changes of expenses or losses for which tax benefits are not recognized. Additionally, our effective tax rate can be more or less volatile based on the amount of pre-tax income. For example, the impact of discrete items and non-deductible expenses on our effective tax rate is greater when our pre-tax income is lower.
	In 2014, our effective tax rate will be significantly affected by the favorable impact of earnings in lower tax rate jurisdictions and the adverse effect of losses incurred in certain foreign jurisdictions for which we may not realize a tax benefit. Income earned in lower tax jurisdictions is primarily related to our European operations, which are headquartered in Luxembourg. Losses for which we may not realize a tax benefit, primarily due to losses of foreign subsidiaries, reduce our pre-tax income without a corresponding reduction in our tax expense, and therefore increase our effective tax rate. We have recorded valuation allowances against the deferred tax assets associated with losses for which we may not realize a related tax benefit. Our effective tax rate may also be adversely impacted by the amount of our pretax income relative to our income tax expense, nondeductible expenses, and changes in tax law such as the expiration of the U.S. federal research and development credit at the end of 2013.
	Tax expense for Q1 2014 was $73 million. In Q1 2013, we recognized an income tax benefit of $18 million, which included $46 million of discrete tax benefits primarily resulting from the retroactive reinstatement of the federal research and development credit that was enacted in January 2013.
	Cash paid for income taxes (net of refunds) was $38 million and $86 million in Q1 2014 and Q1 2013.
	As of March 31, 2014, and December 31, 2013, tax contingencies were $455 million and $407 million. We expect the total amount of tax contingencies will grow in 2014. In addition, changes in state, federal, and foreign tax laws may increase our tax contingencies. The timing of the resolution of income tax examinations is highly uncertain, and the amounts ultimately paid, if any, upon resolution of the issues raised by the taxing authorities may differ from the amounts accrued. It is reasonably possible that within the next 12 months we will receive additional assessments by various tax authorities or possibly reach resolution of income tax examinations in one or more jurisdictions. These assessments or settlements may or may not result in changes to our contingencies related to positions on prior years’ tax filings.
	We are under examination, or may be subject to examination, by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) for the calendar year 2005 or thereafter. These examinations may lead to ordinary course adjustments or proposed adjustments to our taxes or our net operating losses. As previously disclosed, we have received Notices of Proposed Adjustment from the IRS for the 2005 and 2006 calendar years relating to transfer pricing with our foreign subsidiaries. The IRS is seeking to increase our U.S. taxable income by an amount that would result in additional federal tax over a seven year period beginning in 2005, totaling approximately $1.5 billion, subject to interest. To date, we have not resolved this matter administratively and, in December 2012, we petitioned the U.S. Tax Court to resolve the matter. We continue to disagree with these IRS positions and intend to contest them vigorously.
	Certain of our subsidiaries are under examination or investigation or may be subject to examination or investigation by the French Tax Administration (“FTA”) for calendar year 2006 or thereafter. These examinations may lead to ordinary course adjustments or proposed adjustments to our taxes. While we have not yet received a final assessment from the FTA, in September 2012, we received proposed tax assessment notices for calendar years 2006 through 2010 relating to the allocation of income between foreign jurisdictions. The notices propose additional French tax of approximately $250 million, including interest and penalties through the date of the assessment. We disagree with the proposed assessment and intend to contest it vigorously. We plan to pursue all available administrative remedies at the FTA, and if we are not able to resolve this matter with the FTA, we plan to pursue judicial remedies. We are also subject to taxation in various states and other foreign jurisdictions including China, Germany, India, Japan, Luxembourg, and the United Kingdom. We are under, or may be subject to, audit or examination and additional assessments by these particular tax authorities for the calendar year 2003 and thereafter.

Segment_Information

Segment Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Segment Reporting [Abstract]	'
Segment Information	'
	SEGMENT INFORMATION
	We have organized our operations into two segments: North America and International. We present our segment information along the same lines that our Chief Executive Officer reviews our operating results in assessing performance and allocating resources.
	We allocate to segment results the operating expenses “Fulfillment,” “Marketing,” “Technology and content,” and “General and administrative,” but exclude from our allocations the portions of these expense lines attributable to stock-based compensation. We do not allocate the line item “Other operating expense (income), net” to our segment operating results. A majority of our costs for “Technology and content” are incurred in the U.S. and most of these costs are allocated to our North America segment. There are no internal revenue transactions between our reporting segments.
	Information on reportable segments and reconciliation to consolidated net income is as follows (in millions):
		Three Months Ended
		March 31,
		2014			2013
	North America
	Net sales	$	11,858		$	9,391
	Segment operating expenses (1)	11,296			8,934
	Segment operating income	$	562		$	457
	International
	Net sales	$	7,883		$	6,679
	Segment operating expenses (1)	7,943			6,695
	Segment operating income (loss)	$	(60	)	$	(16	)
	Consolidated
	Net sales	$	19,741		$	16,070
	Segment operating expenses (1)	19,239			15,629
	Segment operating income	502			441
	Stock-based compensation	(321		)	(229		)
	Other operating income (expense), net	(35		)	(31		)
	Income from operations	146			181
	Total non-operating income (expense)	(26		)	(100		)
	Benefit (provision) for income taxes	(73		)	18
	Equity-method investment activity, net of tax	61			(17		)
	Net income	$	108		$	82
	___________________
	-1	Represents operating expenses, excluding stock-based compensation and “Other operating expense (income), net,” which are not allocated to segments.
	Net sales of similar products and services were as follows (in millions):
		Three Months Ended
		March 31,
		2014			2013
	Net Sales:
	Media	$	5,467		$	5,058
	Electronics and other general merchandise	13,017			10,214
	Other (1)	1,257			798
		$	19,741		$	16,070
	___________________
	-1	Includes sales from non-retail activities, such as Amazon Web Services (“AWS”), advertising services, and our co-branded credit card agreements.

Accounting_Policies_Policies

Accounting Policies (Policies)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Accounting Policies [Abstract]	'
Unaudited Interim Financial Information	'
	Unaudited Interim Financial Information
	We have prepared the accompanying consolidated financial statements pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) for interim financial reporting. These consolidated financial statements are unaudited and, in our opinion, include all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring adjustments and accruals necessary for a fair presentation of our consolidated balance sheets, operating results, and cash flows for the periods presented. Operating results for the periods presented are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for 2014 due to seasonal and other factors. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”) have been omitted in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC. These consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes in Item 8 of Part II, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data,” of our 2013 Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Principles of Consolidation	'
	Principles of Consolidation
	The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Amazon.com, Inc., its wholly-owned subsidiaries, and those entities in which we have a variable interest and of which we are the primary beneficiary (collectively, the “Company”). Intercompany balances and transactions between consolidated entities are eliminated.
Use of Estimates	'
	Use of Estimates
	The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosures of contingent liabilities in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Estimates are used for, but not limited to, determining the selling price of products and services in multiple element revenue arrangements and determining the lives of these elements, incentive discount offers, sales returns, vendor funding, stock-based compensation forfeiture rates, income taxes, valuation and impairment of investments, inventory valuation and inventory purchase commitments, collectability of receivables, valuation of acquired intangibles and goodwill, depreciable lives of property and equipment, internal-use software and website development costs, acquisition purchase price allocations, investments in equity interests, and contingencies. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates.
Earnings per Share	'
	Earnings per Share
	Basic earnings per share is calculated using our weighted-average outstanding common shares. Diluted earnings per share is calculated using our weighted-average outstanding common shares including the dilutive effect of stock awards as determined under the treasury stock method. In periods when we recognize a net loss, we exclude the impact of outstanding stock awards from the diluted loss per share calculation as their inclusion would have an antidilutive effect.
Equity-method Investments	'
	Equity-method Investments
	Equity investments are accounted for using the equity method of accounting if the investment gives us the ability to exercise significant influence, but not control, over an investee. The total of our investments in equity-method investees, including identifiable intangible assets, deferred tax liabilities, and goodwill, is included within “Other assets” on our consolidated balance sheets. Our share of the earnings or losses as reported by equity-method investees, amortization of the related intangible assets, and related gains or losses, if any, are classified as “Equity-method investment activity, net of tax” on our consolidated statements of operations. Our share of the net income or loss of our equity-method investees includes operating and non-operating gains and charges, which can have a significant impact on our reported equity-method investment activity and the carrying value of those investments. In the event that net losses of the investee reduce our equity-method investment carrying amount to zero, additional net losses may be recorded if other investments in the investee, not accounted for under the equity method, are at-risk even if we have not committed to provide financial support to the investee. We regularly evaluate these investments, which are not carried at fair value, for other-than-temporary impairment. We also consider whether our equity-method investments generate sufficient cash flows from their operating or financing activities to meet their obligations and repay their liabilities when they come due.
	We record purchases, including incremental purchases, of shares in equity-method investees at cost. Reductions in our ownership percentage of an investee, including through dilution, are generally valued at fair value, with the difference between fair value and our recorded cost reflected as a gain or loss in our equity-method investment activity. In the event we no longer have the ability to exercise significant influence over an equity-method investee, we would discontinue accounting for the investment under the equity method.

Accounting_Policies_Tables

Accounting Policies (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Accounting Policies [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Weighted Average Number of Shares	'
	The following table shows the calculation of diluted shares (in millions):
		Three Months Ended
		March 31,
		2014	2013
	Shares used in computation of basic earnings per share	460	455
	Total dilutive effect of outstanding stock awards	8	8
	Shares used in computation of diluted earnings per share	468	463

Cash_Cash_Equivalents_and_Mark1

Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Marketable Securities (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Investments, Debt and Equity Securities [Abstract]	'
Fair Value by Balance Sheet Grouping	'
	The following table summarizes, by major security type, our cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis and are categorized using the fair value hierarchy (in millions):
		March 31, 2014										December 31, 2013
		Cost or		Gross		Gross			Total			Total
		Amortized		Unrealized		Unrealized			Estimated			Estimated
		Cost		Gains		Losses			Fair Value			Fair Value
	Cash	$	2,902	$	—	$	—		$	2,902		$	3,008
	Level 1 securities:
	Money market funds	2,490		—		—			2,490			5,914
	Equity securities	3		—		—			3			4
	Level 2 securities:
	Foreign government and agency securities	617		2		(1		)	618			758
	U.S. government and agency securities	2,128		2		(2		)	2,128			2,222
	Corporate debt securities	755		3		—			758			741
	Asset-backed securities	69		—		—			69			65
	Other fixed income securities	34		—		—			34			36
		$	8,998	$	7	$	(3	)	$	9,002		$	12,748
	Less: Restricted cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities (1)								(336		)	(301		)
	Total cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities								$	8,666		$	12,447
	___________________
	-1	We are required to pledge or otherwise restrict a portion of our cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities as collateral for standby and trade letters of credit, guarantees, debt, and real estate lease agreements. We classify cash and marketable securities with use restrictions of less than twelve months as “Accounts receivable, net and other” and of twelve months or longer as non-current “Other assets” on our consolidated balance sheets. See “Note 3 — Commitments and Contingencies.”
Investments Classified by Contractual Maturity Date	'
	The following table summarizes the contractual maturities of our cash equivalent and marketable fixed-income securities as of March 31, 2014 (in millions):
		Amortized		Estimated
		Cost		Fair Value
	Due within one year	$	3,951	$	3,953
	Due after one year through five years	1,781		1,784
	Due after five years through ten years	129		129
	Due after ten years	232		231
		$	6,093	$	6,097

Commitments_and_Contingencies_

Commitments and Contingencies (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Commitments Disclosure	'
	The following summarizes our principal contractual commitments, excluding open orders for purchases that support normal operations, as of March 31, 2014 (in millions):
		Nine Months Ended December 31,		Year Ended December 31,
		2014		2015		2016		2017		2018		Thereafter		Total
	Operating and capital commitments:
	Debt principal and interest	$	482	$	1,252	$	81	$	1,081	$	69	$	1,375	$	4,340
	Capital leases, including interest	857		1,246		539		115		59		121		2,937
	Financing lease obligations, including interest	37		48		48		49		49		496		727
	Operating leases	679		697		655		582		514		2,241		5,368
	Unconditional purchase obligations (1)	412		439		137		55		51		50		1,144
	Other commitments (2) (3)	586		419		194		157		128		1,369		2,853
	Total commitments	$	3,053	$	4,101	$	1,654	$	2,039	$	870	$	5,652	$	17,369
	___________________
	-1	Includes unconditional purchase obligations related to agreements to acquire and license digital video content that represent long-term liabilities or are not reflected on the consolidated balance sheets. For those agreements with variable terms, we do not estimate what the total obligation may be beyond any minimum quantities and/or pricing as of the reporting date. Purchase obligations associated with renewal provisions solely at the option of the content provider are included to the extent such commitments are fixed or a minimum amount is specified.
	-2	Includes the estimated timing and amounts of payments for rent and tenant improvements associated with build-to-suit lease arrangements that have not been placed in service.
	-3	Excludes $455 million of tax contingencies for which we cannot make a reasonably reliable estimate of the amount and period of payment, if any.

EquityMethod_Investments_Table

Equity-Method Investments (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Equity Method Investments and Joint Ventures [Abstract]	'
Equity Method Investments Summarized Financial Information	'
	LivingSocial’s summarized condensed financial information, as provided to us by LivingSocial, is as follows (in millions):
		Three Months Ended
		March 31,
		2014			2013
	Statement of Operations:
	Revenue	$	77		$	108
	Gross profit	62			82
	Operating expenses	98			107
	Operating loss from continuing operations	(36		)	(25		)
	Net loss from continuing operations	(26		)	(26		)
	Net income (loss) from discontinued operations (1)	203			(19		)
	Net income (loss)	$	177		$	(45	)
	___________________
	-1	In January 2014, LivingSocial completed the sale of its Korean operations for approximately $260 million and recognized a gain on disposal of $205 million, net of tax. The statement of operations information above has been recast to present the Korean operations as discontinued operations.

LongTerm_Debt_Tables

Long-Term Debt (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Long-Term Debt Obligations	'
	The face value of our total long-term debt obligations is as follows (in millions):
		31-Mar-14			31-Dec-13
	0.65% Notes due on November 27, 2015	$	750		$	750
	1.20% Notes due on November 29, 2017	1,000			1,000
	2.50% Notes due on November 29, 2022	1,250			1,250
	Other long-term debt	953			967
	Total debt	3,953			3,967
	Less current portion of long-term debt	(784		)	(753		)
	Face value of long-term debt	$	3,169		$	3,214

Stockholders_Equity_Tables

Stockholders' Equity (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Equity [Abstract]	'
Nonvested Restricted Stock Units Activity	'
	The following table summarizes our restricted stock unit activity for the three months ended March 31, 2014 (in millions):
		Number of Units		Weighted Average
				Grant-Date
				Fair Value
	Outstanding as of December 31, 2013	16.3		$	233
	Units granted	0.8		366
	Units vested	(0.9	)	174
	Units forfeited	(0.5	)	237
	Outstanding as of March 31, 2014	15.7		$	243
Nonvested Share Activity	'
	Scheduled vesting for outstanding restricted stock units as of March 31, 2014, is as follows (in millions):
		Nine Months Ended December 31,		Year Ended December 31,
		2014		2015		2016	2017	2018	Thereafter	Total
	Scheduled vesting—restricted stock units	4.5		5.7		3.4	1.8	0.2	0.1	15.7

Segment_Information_Tables

Segment Information (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Segment Reporting [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Segment Reporting Information by Segment	'
	Information on reportable segments and reconciliation to consolidated net income is as follows (in millions):
		Three Months Ended
		March 31,
		2014			2013
	North America
	Net sales	$	11,858		$	9,391
	Segment operating expenses (1)	11,296			8,934
	Segment operating income	$	562		$	457
	International
	Net sales	$	7,883		$	6,679
	Segment operating expenses (1)	7,943			6,695
	Segment operating income (loss)	$	(60	)	$	(16	)
	Consolidated
	Net sales	$	19,741		$	16,070
	Segment operating expenses (1)	19,239			15,629
	Segment operating income	502			441
	Stock-based compensation	(321		)	(229		)
	Other operating income (expense), net	(35		)	(31		)
	Income from operations	146			181
	Total non-operating income (expense)	(26		)	(100		)
	Benefit (provision) for income taxes	(73		)	18
	Equity-method investment activity, net of tax	61			(17		)
	Net income	$	108		$	82
	___________________
	-1	Represents operating expenses, excluding stock-based compensation and “Other operating expense (income), net,” which are not allocated to segments.
Revenue from External Customers by Products and Services	'
	Net sales of similar products and services were as follows (in millions):
		Three Months Ended
		March 31,
		2014			2013
	Net Sales:
	Media	$	5,467		$	5,058
	Electronics and other general merchandise	13,017			10,214
	Other (1)	1,257			798
		$	19,741		$	16,070
	___________________
	-1	Includes sales from non-retail activities, such as Amazon Web Services (“AWS”), advertising services, and our co-branded credit card agreements.

Accounting_Policies_Calculatio

Accounting Policies - Calculation of Diluted Shares (Detail)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]	'	'
Shares used in computation of basic earnings per share	460	455
Total dilutive effect of outstanding stock awards	8	8
Shares used in computation of diluted earnings per share	468	463

Cash_Cash_Equivalents_and_Mark2

Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Marketable Securities - Summary by Major Security Type Cash Cash Equivalents and Marketable Securities Measured at Fair Value on Recurring Basis and Categorized Using Fair Value Hierarchy (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014		Dec. 31, 2013
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities [Line Items]	'		'
Total Estimated Fair Value	$8,666		$12,447
Less: Restricted cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities	-336	[1]	-301	[1]
Cash	'		'
Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities [Line Items]	'		'
Cost or Amortized Cost	2,902		'
Gross Unrealized Gains	0		'
Gross Unrealized Losses	0		'
Total Estimated Fair Value	2,902		3,008
Cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities	'		'
Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities [Line Items]	'		'
Cost or Amortized Cost	8,998		'
Gross Unrealized Gains	7		'
Gross Unrealized Losses	-3		'
Total Estimated Fair Value	9,002		12,748
Level 1 Securities | Money market funds	'		'
Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities [Line Items]	'		'
Cost or Amortized Cost	2,490		'
Gross Unrealized Gains	0		'
Gross Unrealized Losses	0		'
Total Estimated Fair Value	2,490		5,914
Level 1 Securities | Equity securities	'		'
Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities [Line Items]	'		'
Cost or Amortized Cost	3		'
Gross Unrealized Gains	0		'
Gross Unrealized Losses	0		'
Total Estimated Fair Value	3		4
Level 2 Securities | Foreign government and agency securities	'		'
Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities [Line Items]	'		'
Cost or Amortized Cost	617		'
Gross Unrealized Gains	2		'
Gross Unrealized Losses	-1		'
Total Estimated Fair Value	618		758
Level 2 Securities | U.S. government and agency securities	'		'
Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities [Line Items]	'		'
Cost or Amortized Cost	2,128		'
Gross Unrealized Gains	2		'
Gross Unrealized Losses	-2		'
Total Estimated Fair Value	2,128		2,222
Level 2 Securities | Corporate debt securities	'		'
Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities [Line Items]	'		'
Cost or Amortized Cost	755		'
Gross Unrealized Gains	3		'
Gross Unrealized Losses	0		'
Total Estimated Fair Value	758		741
Level 2 Securities | Asset-backed securities	'		'
Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities [Line Items]	'		'
Cost or Amortized Cost	69		'
Gross Unrealized Gains	0		'
Gross Unrealized Losses	0		'
Total Estimated Fair Value	69		65
Level 2 Securities | Other fixed income securities	'		'
Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities [Line Items]	'		'
Cost or Amortized Cost	34		'
Gross Unrealized Gains	0		'
Gross Unrealized Losses	0		'
Total Estimated Fair Value	$34		$36
[1]	We are required to pledge or otherwise restrict a portion of our cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities as collateral for standby and trade letters of credit, guarantees, debt, and real estate lease agreements. We classify cash and marketable securities with use restrictions of less than twelve months as “Accounts receivable, net and other” and of twelve months or longer as non-current “Other assets” on our consolidated balance sheets. See “Note 3 — Commitments and Contingencies.”

Cash_Cash_Equivalents_and_Mark3

Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Marketable Securities - Summary of Contractual Maturities of Cash Equivalent and Marketable Fixed Income Securities (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
Investments Classified by Contractual Maturity Date [Line Items]	'
Amortized Cost	$6,093
Estimated Fair Value	6,097
Due within one year	'
Investments Classified by Contractual Maturity Date [Line Items]	'
Amortized Cost	3,951
Estimated Fair Value	3,953
Due after one year through five years	'
Investments Classified by Contractual Maturity Date [Line Items]	'
Amortized Cost	1,781
Estimated Fair Value	1,784
Due after five years through ten years	'
Investments Classified by Contractual Maturity Date [Line Items]	'
Amortized Cost	129
Estimated Fair Value	129
Due after ten years	'
Investments Classified by Contractual Maturity Date [Line Items]	'
Amortized Cost	232
Estimated Fair Value	$231

Commitments_and_Contingencies_1

Commitments and Contingencies - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended			1 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013
				ContentGuard Holdings, Inc.
				Patent
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Rental expense under operating lease agreements	$219	$168	'	'
Tax contingencies	455	'	407	'
Securities and Property and Equipment Owned and Pledged as Collateral, Fair Value	$505	'	$482	'
Number of patents infringed	'	'	'	7

Commitments_and_Contingencies_2

Commitments and Contingencies - Principal Contractual Commitments Excluding Open Orders for Inventory Purchases That Support Normal Operations (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
Operating leases	'
Nine Months Ended December 31, 2014	$679
Year Ended December 31, 2015	697
Year Ended December 31, 2016	655
Year Ended December 31, 2017	582
Year Ended December 31, 2018	514
Thereafter	2,241
Total	5,368
Unconditional purchase obligations	'
Nine Months Ended December 31, 2014	412	[1]
Year Ended December 31, 2015	439	[1]
Year Ended December 31, 2016	137	[1]
Year Ended December 31, 2017	55	[1]
Year Ended December 31, 2018	51	[1]
Thereafter	50	[1]
Total	1,144	[1]
Other commitments	'
Nine Months Ended December 31, 2014	586	[2],[3]
Year Ended December 31, 2015	419	[2],[3]
Year Ended December 31, 2016	194	[2],[3]
Year Ended December 31, 2017	157	[2],[3]
Year Ended December 31, 2018	128	[2],[3]
Thereafter	1,369	[2],[3]
Total	2,853	[2],[3]
Long-term Purchase Commitments [Line Items]	'
Nine Months Ended December 31, 2014	3,053
Year Ended December 31, 2015	4,101
Year Ended December 31, 2016	1,654
Year Ended December 31, 2017	2,039
Year Ended December 31, 2018	870
Thereafter	5,652
Total	17,369
Debt principal and interest	'
Long-term Purchase Commitments [Line Items]	'
Nine Months Ended December 31, 2014	482
Year Ended December 31, 2015	1,252
Year Ended December 31, 2016	81
Year Ended December 31, 2017	1,081
Year Ended December 31, 2018	69
Thereafter	1,375
Total	4,340
Capital leases, including interest	'
Long-term Purchase Commitments [Line Items]	'
Nine Months Ended December 31, 2014	857
Year Ended December 31, 2015	1,246
Year Ended December 31, 2016	539
Year Ended December 31, 2017	115
Year Ended December 31, 2018	59
Thereafter	121
Total	2,937
Financing lease obligations, including interest	'
Long-term Purchase Commitments [Line Items]	'
Nine Months Ended December 31, 2014	37
Year Ended December 31, 2015	48
Year Ended December 31, 2016	48
Year Ended December 31, 2017	49
Year Ended December 31, 2018	49
Thereafter	496
Total	$727
[1]	Includes unconditional purchase obligations related to agreements to acquire and license digital video content that represent long-term liabilities or are not reflected on the consolidated balance sheets. For those agreements with variable terms, we do not estimate what the total obligation may be beyond any minimum quantities and/or pricing as of the reporting date. Purchase obligations associated with renewal provisions solely at the option of the content provider are included to the extent such commitments are fixed or a minimum amount is specified.
[2]	Includes the estimated timing and amounts of payments for rent and tenant improvements associated with build-to-suit lease arrangements that have not been placed in service.
[3]	Excludes $455 million of tax contingencies for which we cannot make a reasonably reliable estimate of the amount and period of payment, if any.

EquityMethod_Investments_Summa

Equity-Method Investments - Summarized Condensed Financial Information of LivingSocial (Detail) (LivingSocial, USD $)	3 Months Ended				1 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014		Mar. 31, 2013		Jan. 31, 2014
					Korean operations
Statement of Operations:	'		'		'
Revenue	$77		$108		'
Gross profit	62		82		'
Operating expenses	98		107		'
Operating loss from continuing operations	-36		-25		'
Net loss from continuing operations	-26		-26		'
Net income (loss) from discontinued operations	203	[1]	-19	[1]	'
Net income (loss)	177		-45		'
LivingSocial sale of its Korean operations	'		'		260
Gain on disposal	'		'		$205
[1]	In January 2014, LivingSocial completed the sale of its Korean operations for approximately $260 million and recognized a gain on disposal of $205 million, net of tax. The statement of operations information above has been recast to present the Korean operations as discontinued operations.

Equity_Method_Investments_Addi

Equity Method Investments - Additional Information (Detail) (LivingSocial, USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
LivingSocial	'
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]	'
Equity investment, ownership percentage	31.00%
Equity investment, book value	$100

LongTerm_Debt_Additional_Infor

Long-Term Debt - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Nov. 30, 2012
			tranche
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'
Carrying amount of other long term debt including current portion	$953,000,000	$967,000,000	'
Senior Notes	'	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'
Face amount	'	'	3,000,000,000
Number of tranches of debt issued	'	'	3
Unamortized discount	22,000,000	23,000,000	'
Interest payment frequency	'semi-annually in arrears in May and November	'	'
Total estimated fair value of notes	$2,900,000,000	$2,900,000,000	'
0.65% Notes due on November 27, 2015	'	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'
Effective interest yields	0.84%	'	'
1.20% Notes due on November 29, 2017	'	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'
Effective interest yields	1.38%	'	'
2.50% Notes due on November 29, 2022	'	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'
Effective interest yields	2.66%	'	'
Other Long Term Debt	'	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'
Long-term debt, weighted average interest rate	5.60%	5.50%	'

LongTerm_Debt_LongTerm_Debt_Ob

Long-Term Debt - Long-Term Debt Obligations (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Long-term debt	$3,953	$3,967
Other long-term debt	953	967
Less current portion of long-term debt	-784	-753
Face value of long-term debt	3,169	3,214
0.65% Notes due on November 27, 2015	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Stated interest rate	0.65%	'
Long-term debt	750	750
1.20% Notes due on November 29, 2017	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Stated interest rate	1.20%	'
Long-term debt	1,000	1,000
2.50% Notes due on November 29, 2022	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Stated interest rate	2.50%	'
Long-term debt	$1,250	$1,250

Stockholders_Equity_Additional

Stockholders Equity - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended
Share data in Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Jan. 31, 2010	Mar. 31, 2014
			Share Repurchase Program, 2010	Share Repurchase Program, 2010
Stockholders Equity Note [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Repurchase program authorized by Board of Directors	'	'	$2,000,000,000	'
Repurchase program authorized, remaining common stock	'	'	'	763,000,000
Common shares outstanding plus shares underlying outstanding stock awards, including all stock-based awards outstanding, including estimated forfeiture	476	476	'	'
Net unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested stock-based compensation arrangements	$1,600,000,000	'	'	'
Net unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested stock-based compensation arrangements, weighted average recognition period (in years)	'1 year 1 month 24 days	'	'	'

Stockholders_Equity_Restricted

Stockholders' Equity - Restricted Stock Unit Activity (Detail) (Restricted Stock Units, USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014
Restricted Stock Units	'
Number of units	'
Beginning balance (in shares)	16.3
Units granted (in shares)	0.8
Units vested (in shares)	-0.9
Units forfeited (in shares)	-0.5
Ending balance (in shares)	15.7
Weighted Average Grant-Date Fair Value	'
Beginning balance (in usd per share)	$233
Units granted (in usd per share)	$366
Units vested (in usd per share)	$174
Units forfeited (in usd per share)	$237
Ending balance (in usd per share)	$243

Stockholders_Equity_Scheduled_

Stockholders' Equity - Scheduled Vesting for Outstanding Restricted Stock Units (Detail) (Restricted Stock Units)	Mar. 31, 2014
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
Restricted Stock Units	'
Schedule of Vesting [Line Items]	'
Nine Months Ended December 31, 2014	4.5
Year Ended December 31, 2015	5.7
Year Ended December 31, 2016	3.4
Year Ended December 31, 2017	1.8
Year Ended December 31, 2018	0.2
Thereafter	0.1
Total	15.7

Income_Taxes_Additional_Inform

Income Taxes - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013
Income Taxes [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Benefit (provision) for income taxes	($73)	$18	'	'	'
Discrete tax benefits	'	46	'	'	'
Cash taxes paid, net of refunds	38	86	121	179	'
Tax contingencies	455	'	455	'	407
Tax examination, additional tax expense including interest and penalties	1,500	'	'	'	'
France	'	'	'	'	'
Income Taxes [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Tax examination, additional tax expense including interest and penalties	$250	'	'	'	'

Segment_Information_Additional

Segment Information - Additional Information (Detail)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
	Segment
Segment Reporting [Abstract]	'
Number of segments	2

Segment_Information_Reportable

Segment Information - Reportable Segments and Reconciliation to Consolidated Net Income (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended				12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014		Mar. 31, 2013		Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Segment Reporting Disclosure [Line Items]	'		'		'	'
Net sales	$19,741		$16,070		'	'
Segment operating expenses	19,595		15,889		'	'
Income from operations	146		181		'	'
Stock-based compensation	-321		-229		-1,226	-901
Other operating income (expense), net	-35		-31		'	'
Total non-operating income (expense)	-26		-100		'	'
Benefit (provision) for income taxes	-73		18		'	'
Equity-method investment activity, net of tax	61		-17		'	'
Net income	108		82		299	-87
Operating Segments	'		'		'	'
Segment Reporting Disclosure [Line Items]	'		'		'	'
Net sales	19,741		16,070		'	'
Segment operating expenses	19,239	[1]	15,629	[1]	'	'
Income from operations	502		441		'	'
Operating Segments | North America	'		'		'	'
Segment Reporting Disclosure [Line Items]	'		'		'	'
Net sales	11,858		9,391		'	'
Segment operating expenses	11,296	[1]	8,934	[1]	'	'
Income from operations	562		457		'	'
Operating Segments | International	'		'		'	'
Segment Reporting Disclosure [Line Items]	'		'		'	'
Net sales	7,883		6,679		'	'
Segment operating expenses	7,943	[1]	6,695	[1]	'	'
Income from operations	($60)		($16)		'	'
[1]	Represents operating expenses, excluding stock-based compensation and “Other operating expense (income), net,” which are not allocated to segments.

Segment_Information_Net_Sales_

Segment Information - Net Sales of Similar Products and Services (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014		Mar. 31, 2013
Revenue from External Customer [Line Items]	'		'
Net sales	$19,741		$16,070
Media	'		'
Revenue from External Customer [Line Items]	'		'
Net sales	5,467		5,058
Electronics and other general merchandise	'		'
Revenue from External Customer [Line Items]	'		'
Net sales	13,017		10,214
Other	'		'
Revenue from External Customer [Line Items]	'		'
Net sales	$1,257	[1]	$798	[1]
[1]	Includes sales from non-retail activities, such as Amazon Web Services (“AWS”), advertising services, and our co-branded credit card agreements.