Jeff Bezos Returns as Co-CEO of AI Startup Project Prometheus
▼ Summary
– Jeff Bezos is co-CEO and a partial backer of new AI startup Project Prometheus, which has raised $6.2 billion in funding.
– Bezos shares the co-CEO role with Vik Bajaj, a former Google life sciences division leader and co-founder of Verily and Foresite Labs.
– This marks Bezos’s return to operational duties since stepping away from Amazon in 2021.
– The startup will develop AI products for engineering and manufacturing in computers, aerospace, and automobiles, focusing on the “physical economy.”
– Project Prometheus has nearly 100 employees, including researchers from Meta, OpenAI, and Google DeepMind.
Jeff Bezos is stepping back into an operational leadership position, taking on the role of co-CEO at a new artificial intelligence venture known as Project Prometheus. The startup has reportedly secured a substantial $6.2 billion in funding, with the Amazon founder actively involved in its backing. This marks his first return to daily executive responsibilities since departing from Amazon in 2021.
Sharing the chief executive duties will be Vik Bajaj, a seasoned technology leader with an impressive track record. Bajaj previously headed and co-founded Google’s life sciences division and was also a co-founder of Verily, the biotechnology company under Alphabet. Additionally, he established Foresite Labs, an AI-centric affiliate of the investment firm Foresite Capital. Reports indicate he recently left that firm to launch Project Prometheus.
The mission of this new enterprise is to develop advanced AI products tailored for engineering and manufacturing sectors. These applications are expected to span several key industries, including computing, aerospace, and automotive. Describing itself as focused on “AI for the physical economy” on its LinkedIn profile, the company’s work is said to be similar in nature to that of Periodic Labs. That organization is known for creating technology that accelerates scientific research by using simulations of the physical world to train artificial intelligence models.
Already, Project Prometheus has assembled a team of nearly 100 employees. This group includes researchers recruited from leading AI organizations such as Meta, OpenAI, and Google DeepMind, bringing together significant expertise from across the industry.
Requests for comments sent to Amazon and Vik Bajaj were not immediately returned.
(Source: TechCrunch)
