Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, is stepping back into an operational leadership role for the first time since resigning as Amazon’s CEO in 2021. This time, however, we’ll see him in a completely new environment — a technology startup focused on AI for industrial applications. Bezos will share the top job with Vik Bajaj, a physicist and chemist with a background at Google X (Google’s secret R&D division) and Verily.
The startup is operating in stealth mode but has already secured major funding and hired around 100 employees, including experts from OpenAI, DeepMind, and Meta.
Project Prometheus aims to develop artificial intelligence for engineering and manufacturing — including in computing, aerospace, and automotive industries. The company describes its mission as “AI for the physical economy,” suggesting a focus not just on language models but on systems that learn from interactions with the real, physical world.
Its funding, now around $6.2 billion, places Project Prometheus among the most well-funded AI startups at such an early stage. A portion of that capital comes directly from Bezos himself, showing that the former Amazon CEO is invested not only financially but also personally.
The partnership with Vik Bajaj — a scientist bringing experience from Google X and Verily — along with hiring top researchers from leading AI companies indicates that Prometheus intends to compete at a high scientific level. Not everyone is enthusiastic about the project; controversial billionaire Elon Musk has already criticized the startup, calling it a “copy” of his own AI efforts, although he did not clarify what exactly he meant.
Although little is known about how Project Prometheus will operate, Bezos entering the AI arena signals something potentially significant. Experts believe this could be a company where artificial intelligence becomes not just another digital tool but a core technology transforming manufacturing, engineering, and even the space industry.