Jeff Bezos launches Project Prometheus with $6.2 billion funding and becomes co-CEO for the first time since leaving Amazon, while Blue Origin achieves historic rocket breakthrough and Amazon faces job automation crisis.
Key Takeaways
- Project Prometheus: Bezos becomes co-CEO of secretive $6.2 billion AI startup focused on engineering and manufacturing AI, his first operational role since leaving Amazon in 2021
- Blue Origin milestone: New Glenn rocket achieves first successful booster landing on November 12, 2025, challenging SpaceX’s dominance
- Space colonization vision: Bezos predicts millions of people living in space within 20 years using orbital habitats
- Amazon automation crisis: Company plans to replace up to 600,000 warehouse jobs with robots by 2027, cutting 30 cents per item cost
- Net worth boost: Bezos gained $10 billion after Amazon’s strong Q3 2025 earnings; currently worth ~$215-246 billion (3rd richest globally)
- Philanthropy pivot: Bezos and wife Lauren Sánchez donated $2.5 million to DC homeless charity and became star sponsors of elite galas
Background: Bezos’ Evolution from Amazon CEO to Tech Visionary
Jeffrey Preston Bezos, 61, stepped down as Amazon CEO in July 2021 after building the company from a garage startup into a $2.49 trillion powerhouse. For four years, he has focused on three passion projects: Blue Origin, philanthropy, and venture capital investments.
Since leaving Amazon, Bezos has maintained only 10% ownership but earned a windfall from the stock gains. In July 2025 alone, he sold 3 million shares worth $665.8 million. This liquidity has funded his most ambitious ventures yet.
Project Prometheus: Jeff Bezos Returns to CEO Role
In November 2025, Bezos announced Project Prometheus, a stealth AI startup that marks his first formal leadership position since leaving Amazon. The venture raised an astounding $6.2 billion in its seed round—nearly 3x larger than most Series A rounds.
What Is Project Prometheus?
The company focuses on “AI for the physical economy”—developing artificial intelligence systems for:
- Aerospace engineering (rockets, spacecraft design)
- Automotive manufacturing (autonomous production lines)
- Computing infrastructure (data center optimization)
- Robotics and advanced manufacturing
Leadership Team:
- Co-CEO Jeff Bezos (bringing 30+ years of systems thinking)
- Co-CEO Vikram “Vik” Bajaj (former AI researcher, orchestrating day-to-day operations)
- Dozens of engineers poached from OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and other labs
Bezos’ Management Style Returns
True to form, Jeff Bezos has implemented his famous “Day 1” philosophy at Project Prometheus, emphasizing customer obsession and long-term thinking over quarterly profits. At a November 2025 America Business Forum appearance, Bezos reflected:
“We don’t want to get packages slower. We don’t want things with less quality. We don’t want to pay more for things. That’s ‘grasp of the obvious’—and we must reinforce fundamentals that always matter.”
This philosophy is now applied to AI: Project Prometheus is engineering-focused, not flashy like other AI companies.
Blue Origin’s Historic Victory Over SpaceX
On November 12, 2025, Blue Origin achieved a watershed moment: the first successful booster landing of the New Glenn rocket, marking the company as SpaceX’s top rival.
What This Means:
- Blue Origin proved its heavy-lift rocket can return and land reusably, a cornerstone SpaceX technology
- New Glenn can now deliver massive payloads to orbit for NASA missions (Mars probes and satellites)
- Bezos’s 25-year investment in space finally producing market-competitive results
- Timeline to colonization shortened: With reusable rockets, space travel costs drop dramatically
Bezos’ Space Vision (2025):
“The next 10-20 years, large-scale data centres will be constructed in outer space… with access to abundant, constant solar energy. Within 20 years, we could have millions of people living in space.”
This isn’t fantasy—with Blue Origin and Project Prometheus working in tandem, Bezos envisions:
- Orbital manufacturing hubs (asteroid mining, space-based solar arrays)
- Space-based AI data centers (unlimited power from the sun)
- Permanent human settlements on the Moon and Mars
AWS Remains the Cash Cow—But AI Disruption Looms
Despite Bezos’ departure, Amazon Web Services (AWS) continues crushing expectations. In Q3 2025, AWS revenue hit $33 billion, up 20% YoY—the fastest growth since 2022.
Key drivers:
- AI infrastructure demand (customers running massive language models)
- Enterprise adoption of generative AI
- AWS’s new “Nova” chatbot competing with OpenAI’s ChatGPT
Amazon’s overall Q3 performance:
- Net sales: $180.2 billion (beat expectations)
- Market cap: $2.49 trillion
- Operating income: $11.4 billion
However, clouds loom: Amazon is automating aggressively, and this creates tension with labor groups and Senator Bernie Sanders.
The Automation Crisis: 600,000 Jobs at Risk
In October 2025, leaked documents revealed Amazon plans to replace up to 600,000 warehouse jobs with robots by 2027—about 38% of its 1.55 million workforce.
Projected Impact:
- Could reduce item costs by 30 cents each by 2027
- Massive displacement of hourly workers, many of whom rely on federal assistance
- Tax pressure: Amazon benefits from billions in government contracts while eliminating jobs
Senator Bernie Sanders’ Challenge:
Sanders wrote a public letter to Bezos demanding answers:
“What strategies does Amazon have to assist and support the hundreds of thousands of workers you will be replacing with robots and AI?”
Amazon has not officially responded but previously claimed automation helps workers and creates new roles. The reality remains contested as labor groups mobilize.
Personal Life: Venice Wedding & Philanthropy Pivot
Bezos married Lauren Sánchez, an ex-news anchor and entrepreneur, in a lavish 3-day Venice carnival celebration in June 2025. The wedding sparked protests over environmental concerns and wealth inequality.
Recent Philanthropy (Late 2025):
- $2.5 million grant to Friendship Place (Washington DC homeless services)
- Star sponsorship of elite galas with substantial donations
- Fulfilling his 2022 pledge to give away most of his $124 billion wealth during his lifetime
Still relatively modest: To date, Bezos has given away only 1.2% of his wealth ($2.1 billion), though recent moves suggest acceleration.
Diversified Investment Portfolio: Bezos Expeditions
Through Bezos Expeditions (his family office), Jeff has invested in 120+ companies across multiple sectors:
Real Estate Portfolio:
- $165 million Warner Estate (Los Angeles)
- $80 million Madison Square Park apartments (NYC)
- $79 million villa (Miami)
- 165,000-acre Corn Ranch (Texas—Blue Origin base)
Analysis: The Next Decade
Bezos is making a deliberate bet on AI + Space as the next trillion-dollar markets.
By leading Project Prometheus, he’s:
- Competing with Elon on space colonization
- Challenging OpenAI on AI supremacy
- Applying Amazon discipline to moonshot ventures
- Positioning for 2040-2050 when space-based manufacturing becomes mainstream
The risk: If Project Prometheus fails, Bezos loses $6.2 billion. But if it succeeds, the ROI could exceed 100x—launching a new era of space-based economy.
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