Jeff Bezos Shifts from Society Page Back to Business Section with Startup C-Suite Role

We’re worlds — or at least 30 years — away from Jeff Bezos launching an online bookseller in the garage of his rented home. This time around, the tech titan is starting his new company with a cool $6.2 billion, which may be enough to buy three-door garages for everyone in America.  

Bezos has created an artificial intelligence company called Project Prometheus that will focus on aiding engineering and manufacturing in various fields, including computers, aerospace and automobiles, The New York Times reported Monday. Bezos, the third-richest person in the world, will serve as co-chief executive and co-founder alongside physicist and chemist Vik Bajaj, according to the NYT, which cited three people familiar with Project Prometheus. Bajaj is best known for his work at Google’s research lab X. 

Back as the Boss

Recently, Bezos has been making headlines for his social life more often than his work life. His $50 million wedding to Lauren Sánchez this past summer boasted a guest list that included Leonardo DiCaprio, Ivanka Trump and Oprah. Earlier this month, the “momager” of the Kardashian clan, Kris Jenner, held her 70th birthday party at Bezos and Sánchez’s Beverly Hills mansion. 

But it seems that the Washington Post owner is ready to trade at least some of his yacht time for his first formal operational role since he called it quits as Amazon CEO in 2021. He joins an AI arms race: 

• Tech behemoths like Google, Meta, Microsoft and Amazon have been pouring mountains of money into AI. UBS estimates that global AI spending will hit $375 billion this year and $500 billion in 2026. 
• As of August, there were 498 AI unicorns (private companies worth $1 billion or more) with a combined $2.7 trillion valuation, according to CB Insights, per CNBC. 

It’s not clear when Bezos’ new initiative was started, or even where it’s based. But the NYT’s sources say it has brought on nearly 100 employees, including researchers snagged from ChatGPT-creator OpenAI, as well as DeepMind and Meta. 

Let’s Get Physical: It’s no secret that Bezos is interested in outer space. He founded the private aerospace company Blue Origin in 2000. But Project Prometheus isn’t his first foray into “physical AI,” which enables machines to do physical tasks. Bezos invested in robotics company Physical Intelligence last year.