Jeff Bezos is making a notable return to active leadership by joining a newly launched AI startup called Project Prometheus as co-CEO, according to The New York Times, citing multiple sources familiar with the venture. The startup has secured $6.2 billion in funding and is positioning itself at the forefront of artificial intelligence applications in physical industries. Bezos will share the co-CEO role with Vik Bajaj, a seasoned technology executive who previously led and co-founded Google’s life sciences division. Bajaj also co-founded Verily, Alphabet’s health-focused subsidiary, and was instrumental in establishing Foresite Labs, an AI-driven investment affiliate of Foresite Capital. According to the report, Bajaj recently departed Foresite Labs to dedicate himself fully to launching Project Prometheus. This marks Bezos’s first operational role since stepping down as CEO of Amazon in 2021, signaling a renewed hands-on involvement in technology innovation. Project Prometheus is focused on developing AI tools tailored for engineering and manufacturing across sectors including computing, aerospace, and automotive industries. The company describes its mission as advancing “AI for the physical economy,” aiming to accelerate real-world innovation through intelligent simulation and automation. Its approach bears similarities to Periodic Labs, a startup that uses AI to simulate physical processes and speed up scientific discovery. Project Prometheus is already assembling a team of nearly 100 employees, including researchers from leading AI organizations such as Meta, OpenAI, and Google DeepMind. While Amazon and Bajaj have not publicly commented on the report, the venture underscores growing interest in applying AI to tangible, industrial challenges beyond consumer-facing applications. With Bezos’s strategic vision and Bajaj’s technical expertise, Project Prometheus aims to bridge the gap between advanced AI research and practical engineering outcomes.