Jeff Bezos is back in the game with Project Prometheus, a new AI company that will focus on engineering
After years of stepping back from day-to-day work, Jeff Bezos is returning to the tech scene with a new AI company called Project Prometheus. Bezos is the company’s co-CEO along with Vikram Bajaj, an entrepreneur and longtime Google assistant.
Just when it seemed like Jeff Bezos was out of the tech scene and focusing all his attention on enjoying his wealth, the Amazon founder has been attracted by the promise and potential of AI. Bezos, who remains one of the richest men despite previously losing billions of dollars in assets as part of his divorce settlement, has co-founded a new company. This company, called Project Prometheus, will focus on bringing AI to industrial engineering and manufacturing. Along with Bezos, Vikram Bajaj will also be co-CEO.
Although not formally announced, according to the NYT Bezos has quietly taken on the role of co-CEO at Project Prometheus, an artificial intelligence start-up that is already causing a serious stir in Silicon Valley. The company has managed to pull in some talent from major AI giants and has also raised $6.2 billion in funding, including a significant personal investment from Bezos himself.
With Project Prometheus, Bezos is making his biggest operational comeback since stepping down as Amazon CEO in 2021. Bezos’s new venture, which is still operating largely in secret, is built around a very specific ambition to use AI to transform engineering and manufacturing in industries like computing, automotive and aerospace. Unlike consumer-focused AI companies that are racing to build chatbots and foundational models, Prometheus aims to connect advanced algorithms with real-world industrial workflows.
And Bezos isn’t doing it alone. Joining him at the helm is Vic Bajaj aka Vikram Bajaj, a physicist and former Google With these two in leadership positions, Project Prometheus seeks to tackle deep technical problems within the manufacturing industry.
Although publicly quiet, Prometheus is expanding rapidly. According to reports, the startup has already hired around 100 engineers and researchers, including people from OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Meta. Its aggressive moves with heavy initial investments have fueled speculation that Prometheus is looking for rapid expansion in an area where other AI companies are not focusing as much. If seen in a way, at present its big competitors are companies like Elon Musk’s xAI and robotic companies.
Bezos isn’t the only tech giant attracted to his yacht by the promise and potential of AI. Earlier, Google co-founder Sergey Brin came out of his semi-retirement to lead the AI work within the tech giant. Apparently he is so busy with work that he has to go to office every day. Earlier this year at Google IO in May, Brin highlighted that he was “deep in the technical details” and that AI has created a “unique time in history.” He said, “Anyone who is a computer scientist should not retire just yet.”
