TLDR
- Jeff Bezos returns as co-CEO of Project Prometheus, a $6.2 billion AI startup focused on engineering and manufacturing applications
- This marks Bezos’ first operational executive role since leaving Amazon as CEO in July 2021
- Project Prometheus has hired nearly 100 employees from companies such as OpenAI, Google DeepMind and Meta
- Bezos will share the CEO role with Vik Bajaj, a physicist and chemist who previously worked at Alphabet’s X research lab
- The company aims to apply AI technology to areas including computers, aviation and cars
Jeff Bezos is returning to an operational leadership role for the first time since leaving Amazon. The billionaire entrepreneur has taken the position of co-CEO at Project Prometheus, an AI startup that has already secured $6.2 billion in funding.
The New York Times reported the venture, which has operated in relative secrecy. Project Prometheus will focus on applying artificial intelligence to engineering and manufacturing across multiple industries. Target sectors include computers, aerospace and automotive manufacturing.
Bezos dropped out as Amazon CEO on July 5, 2021. He remained as executive chairman of the board. Since then, he has been involved with the space exploration company Blue Origin, where he holds the title of founder rather than an executive position.
At Project Prometheus, Bezos will share the CEO role with Vik Bajaj. Bajaj is a physicist and chemist who previously worked with Google founder Sergey Brin at X, Alphabet’s Moonshot Factory research center.
The exact start date of Project Prometheus is still unclear. However, the company has already built a team of almost 100 employees. The startup has recruited researchers from major AI companies including OpenAI, Google DeepMind and Meta.
The venture enters a competitive market. Several companies are working to apply AI technology to physical tasks such as robotics, drug design, and scientific discovery.
Bezos’s AI Investment Track Record
Project Prometheus is not Bezos’ first foray into artificial intelligence. Earlier this year, his family office Bezos Expeditions invested $72 million in Toloka, an Amsterdam-based AI company.
In 2024, Bezos participated in a $400 million funding round for Physical Intelligence. This robot start counts OpenAI among its investors. The pattern shows a consistent interest in AI applications for physical systems.
Bezos has publicly commented on current AI market conditions. Speaking at Italian Tech Week in Turin last month, he compared the current environment to an “industrial bubble” rather than the dot-com crash. He referred to biotechnology in the 1990s as a similar example.
Industry spending reaches record levels
The broader AI industry is experiencing massive capital investment. Amazon, Meta, Alphabet and Microsoft are expected to spend $750 billion on AI-related investments over the next two years.
Morgan Stanley analysts believe global data center spending will reach nearly $3 trillion between now and 2028. U.S. technology companies will account for $1.4 trillion of the total. Industry watcher Derek Thompson noted that tech companies will spend about $400 billion this year on AI infrastructure alone.
Total AI spending is projected to exceed $500 billion in both 2026 and 2027. This spending exceeds historical comparisons. The Apollo program awarded about $300 billion in inflation-adjusted dollars over about a decade.