NEED TO KNOW

Jeff Bezos will become co-CEO of an artificial intelligence startup called Project Prometheus, according to The New York Times

The role marks his first major new corporate title since stepping down as CEO of Amazon in 2021

He also reportedly contributed to the startup’s $6.2 billion funding

Jeff Bezos has a new billion-dollar project (and Elon Musk has thoughts).

The founder of Amazon, 61, will become co-CEO of an artificial intelligence startup called Project Prometheus, according to The New York Times.

The new role marks his first major new corporate title since stepping down as CEO of Amazon in 2021. Bezos also reportedly contributed to the startup’s $6.2 billion funding.

The company is focused on AI that can help with manufacturing in computers, aerospace and automobiles, the Times reported. (A spokeswoman for Bezos did not respond to a request for comment from PEOPLE.)

Jeff Bezos attends ‘The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power’ World Premiere August 30, 2022 in London.
Karwai Tang/WireImage

Vik Bajaj, who previously worked on Google X, will run the company with Bezos. According to his LinkedIn, he is co-founder and co-CEO of the startup.

Bajaj obtained his Ph.D in physical chemistry at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His other experience include being the co-founder and CEO of Foresite Labs, a center dedicated to the intersection of AI and data science, and an adjunct professor at Stanford University School of Medicine.

Project Prometheus describes itself as “AI for the physical economy.”

Citing sources, the Times reported that the company has hired about 100 employees, including former workers from OpenAI, DeepMind and Meta. 

Musk, another tech titan with his own interests in artificial intelligence, weighed in on Bezos’ career move on his X platform, where he often posts. He jokingly called Bezos a “copy [cat].”

After leaving Amazon, Bezos also founded the space technology company Blue Origin. which has made headlines for its civilian flights including with celebrities such as Katy Perry, Bezos’s wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, and others like billionaire Justin Sun. 

The Amazon founder spoke optimistically about the AI industry at Italian Tech Week in October while acknowledging challenges ahead for the disruptive industry, according CNBC.

He said then that AI is currently in an “industrial bubble.”

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“But that doesn’t mean anything that is happening isn’t real,” he said. “AI is real, and it is going to change every industry.”