Jeff Bezos is stepping back into an operational CEO role for the first time since leaving Amazon in 2021. The billionaire will co-lead Project Prometheus, a secretive AI startup that's already raised $6.2 billion to revolutionize manufacturing across computing, automotive, and aerospace industries. This marks one of the largest early-stage funding rounds in startup history and signals Bezos's bet on AI transforming physical production.
The world's second-richest person just made his biggest career move since stepping away from Amazon. Jeff Bezos is returning to active business leadership as co-CEO of Project Prometheus, a stealth AI startup that's quietly become one of the most well-funded ventures in Silicon Valley history with $6.2 billion already in the bank.
The New York Times broke the story, revealing that Bezos isn't just bankrolling this venture - he's rolling up his sleeves to run it alongside co-founder Vik Bajaj. Bajaj brings serious credentials from Google X, the company's moonshot factory, and later led Verily, Alphabet's health tech division.
Project Prometheus is targeting something ambitious: using artificial intelligence to transform manufacturing across computing, automobiles, and aerospace. While the startup's exact technological approach remains under wraps, the company has already assembled nearly 100 employees, including high-profile defectors from OpenAI, Meta, and DeepMind.
The timing couldn't be more strategic. Manufacturing AI has emerged as the next battleground for tech giants, with companies racing to apply machine learning to physical production processes. Tesla has pioneered AI-driven automotive manufacturing, while aerospace companies are increasingly turning to intelligent automation for complex assembly processes.
Bezos's involvement signals this isn't just another AI chatbot play. His track record with Amazon's logistics revolution and Blue Origin's aerospace engineering suggests Project Prometheus is targeting the intersection of AI and physical systems. The $6.2 billion war chest puts the startup in rarified air - most unicorns take years to reach even $1 billion valuations.
The move also represents a fascinating full-circle moment for Bezos. After building Amazon into an e-commerce and cloud computing giant, then focusing on space exploration with Blue Origin, he's now betting on AI to revolutionize the physical world of manufacturing. Blue Origin just achieved a , showing Bezos's continued focus on engineering challenges.
