Jeff Bezos has returned to the startup arena with a manufacturing-focused AI venture, stirring global interest and prompting a closer look at what this could mean for India.
Bezos, who served as the public face of Amazon until 2021, has reportedly returned to the startup scene to co-lead an artificial intelligence (AI) venture called Project Prometheus. For nearly two and a half decades, he helped build Amazon into a logistics-driven e-commerce giant powered by automation and scale, before stepping down as CEO in 2021. On November 17, 2025, a New York Times report confirming his active involvement in a new venture triggered fresh speculation across global industrial circles.
All about the new beginnings
Project Prometheus is an AI startup reportedly established in 2025. According to early public reports, the company has raised US$6.2 billion in initial funding, partly financed by Bezos himself. The venture is co-led by Vikram ‘Vik’ Bajaj, a former Google X employee from Alphabet’s advanced research division.
Although the company is US-based, no credible source has confirmed the precise location of its headquarters. It is believed to have links to the San Francisco Bay Area, based on the location of early employees and founding talent.
The startup is said to have hired close to 100 employees with prior experience at OpenAI, DeepMind, and Meta. A report by The Guardian notes that Prometheus intends to move beyond purely digital AI applications, such as text and image processing, and instead influence the physical economy. Its ambition is to design, simulate, and manufacture real-world hardware across sectors, including computing, automobiles, and spacecraf,t using advanced AI systems. The objective is to position AI as a central driver of next-generation engineering and industrial manufacturing.
This marks Bezos’ first full-time operational role since leaving Amazon. Over the past four years, he has focused on strategic investments, philanthropy, and the space industry. Much of his time has been devoted to developing reusable rockets and long-term space projects at Blue Origin. He is also closely associated with the Bezos Earth Fund, supporting conservation and climate initiatives, while continuing to serve as Amazon’s executive chairman with interests in media and emerging technologies.
AI- chatbots to factories
Since 2022, generative AI, spanning chatbots, large language models, and image generators, has gained widespread global attention. However, its impact has largely remained within the digital domain. Prometheus is betting on a larger shift: AI systems capable of designing, testing, and optimising physical products such as computer hardware, vehicles, and spacecraft.
If successful, this approach could reshape product development. AI systems could design circuit boards, run thermal and structural simulations, optimise factory layouts, and deliver real-time quality feedback at lower cost and greater speed than traditional engineering workflows. Such capabilities could transform electronics, automotive, and aerospace manufacturing, potentially redefining global supply chains. The scale of ambition—combining software, hardware, and industrial production—is one few companies have previously attempted, supported by Bezos’ experience in scaling complex systems.
What it can mean to India and the world
As India is actively pursuing high-tech manufacturing in electric vehicles (EVs), electronics, and semiconductors, Project Prometheus will be both an opportunity and a threat. Although AI will have positive effects on manufacturers, including improving quality control, accelerating prototyping, modernising software, and modernising data-intensive factories, it might also increase the demand for talented engineers in AI and robotics. However, these challenges cannot be overlooked.
Prometheus could help establish a new global benchmark, enabling AI-powered competitors to scale capital, automation, and engineering capabilities rapidly. If reskilling does not keep pace, increased robotics and predictive systems may displace lower-skilled manufacturing jobs. Accessibility is another concern: will advanced AI-manufacturing tools reach smaller firms in Tier-2 and Tier-3 hubs, or remain limited to large corporations with deep financial resources?
Thus, although the transition to smarter manufacturing can be increased, the gains of Project Prometheus can be uneven.
What we cannot assume yet…
Much remains uncertain. Operating in stealth mode, the company has not disclosed its headquarters, product roadmap, or prototyping efforts, with most available information based on limited or unverified reports. Integrating AI into physical manufacturing systems is complex, expensive, and time-consuming, and success rates remain uncertain. Although Prometheus has significant resources and talent, there is no guarantee of outcome.
For India, close monitoring will be essential, particularly around any collaboration between Prometheus and local OEMs, the emergence of AI-driven design tools, and their impact on workforce skills. Adoption will depend heavily on policy decisions related to manufacturing, labour, and data governance. Global supply chain trends, labour patterns, and regulatory signals will offer further clues about the pace of an AI-driven industrial shift.
It is a high-stakes gamble worth watching.
