Filed about something that has not happened: Amazon proxy statement and three dates

1The distance turns negative

Every filing so far has reported something after it happened. A proxy statement does not. It is issued in advance, about something still to come.

2Three dates in sequence

1. 126 March 2026Record date. Shareholders on the register at the close of business are entitled to notice and to vote
2. 29 April 2026The proxy statement is filed, setting out the proposals and the board recommendations
3. 320 May 2026The annual meeting, where the votes are cast

Note that the record date comes before the filing. Buying shares after reading the document does not confer a vote at that meeting: who may vote was settled before the document arrived.

3What the document is for

A proxy statement tells shareholders what will be decided and asks them to authorise a vote. It sets out the proposals and the board recommendations, information on director nominees, and executive compensation. It reports nothing about the past; it explains what is about to be decided.

That is why the sign of the distance flips here. An annual report grows staler the later it arrives, while a proxy statement gives shareholders more time to consider the earlier it lands.

The series closes with the same form using its date field to mean something else.