Jeff Bezos Rep Resigns From Slate Auto Board
▼ Summary
– Melinda Lewison, head of Jeff Bezos’ family office, has left Slate Auto’s board, leaving Bezos without direct board representation as the startup prepares to launch its electric truck.
– Lewison’s departure raises questions about Bezos’ involvement with Slate, as he is now focused on his robotics startup, Project Prometheus, which raised over $6 billion.
– Slate Auto has never disclosed Bezos’ exact investment amount, and it is unclear if he participated in the company’s Series B round, which brought total funding to around $700 million.
– Slate’s former CEO, Chris Barman, described Bezos as “pretty hands-off” in his involvement with the company.
– Slate Auto is heavily staffed with Amazon alumni, including co-founder and former Amazon Consumer CEO Jeff Wilke and new CEO Peter Faricy, a former Amazon VP.
The head of Jeff Bezos’ family office has quietly exited the board of Slate Auto, the electric vehicle startup backed by the Amazon founder, according to multiple state filings reviewed by TechCrunch. Melinda Lewison, who oversees investments at Bezos Expeditions, appears to have resigned in recent months, based on documents filed with the Delaware, Florida, and Massachusetts secretaries of state. This move leaves Bezos without direct board representation at Slate as the company gears up to launch its low-cost electric truck later this year.
Slate Auto did not respond to repeated requests for comment. Lewison and Bezos also did not reply to emailed inquiries.
Lewison’s departure raises fresh questions about Bezos’ level of support and engagement with the startup, especially as the Amazon founder appears to be pivoting toward robotics through his new venture, Project Prometheus. That company raised over $6 billion late last year and is reportedly seeking $100 billion for a fund focused on acquiring industrial firms to automate them with artificial intelligence.
The extent of Bezos’ involvement in Slate has always been somewhat opaque. The startup has never disclosed how much the Amazon founder contributed during its first funding round in 2023, which totaled roughly $120 million. It also remains unclear whether Bezos participated in the Series B round, which brought Slate’s total funding to approximately $700 million.
Last month, Slate announced a $650 million Series C round, naming only one lead investor: TWG Global, a firm led by Guggenheim Partners CEO Mark Walter. Los Angeles-based VC Slauson & Co, an existing backer, confirmed to TechCrunch that it also joined the round.
Chris Barman, Slate’s first employee and former CEO, said at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 that Bezos was “pretty hands-off.” She elaborated later that year: “We’ve had interface where we invited him in and he came and joined us once along the journey, and looked at the vehicle, and we talked a little bit about what the future might be. But other than that, he’s very hands off and really letting us focus on getting the vehicle to market.”
Despite Bezos’ limited direct involvement, Slate Auto is packed with Amazon alumni. The company was co-founded by former Amazon Consumer CEO Jeff Wilke. Its new CEO, Peter Faricy, previously served as a VP of Amazon Marketplace. Many of Slate’s divisions are also led by former Amazon employees.
(Source: TechCrunch)
