Jeff Bezos will take an active leadership role as co-chief executive officer of a new artificial intelligence startup called Project Prometheus, the New York Times reported Monday (via Reuters). The company focuses on AI applications for engineering and manufacturing, including computers, automobiles, and spacecraft. With $6.2 billion in funding, Project Prometheus ranks among the most well-financed early-stage startups globally.
This marks Bezos' first formal operational position since stepping down as Amazon CEO in July 2021. His co-CEO will be Vik Bajaj, a physicist and chemist who previously worked with Google co-founder Sergey Brin at the "Moonshot Factory" (X). Project Prometheus has already recruited nearly 100 employees, including researchers from OpenAI, DeepMind, and Meta.
Bezos is entering a highly competitive AI market dominated by companies like OpenAI, Meta, and Google, as well as numerous emerging startups. The firm aims to leverage cutting-edge AI to accelerate innovation in hardware and manufacturing processes.