Jeff Bezos's Secretive AI Lab Project Prometheus Expands Team with xAI Co-Founder
Jeff Bezos's artificial intelligence startup lab, operating under the code name Project Prometheus, continues to build its team amid the ongoing talent movement across major AI companies. According to a report by The Financial Times, the lab has recently hired Kyle Kosic, a co-founder of Elon Musk's xAI who has also worked with Sam Altman's OpenAI.
Key Hire from xAI and OpenAI
Kyle Kosic brings significant experience to Project Prometheus. He previously led the infrastructure team behind the Colossus supercomputer for xAI's Grok chatbot before rejoining his former employer, OpenAI, in 2024. At Prometheus, he is expected to continue working on AI infrastructure projects, focusing on large-scale systems.
What is Project Prometheus?
Project Prometheus is led by Jeff Bezos and former Google executive Vikram Bajaj. The company has been expanding its workforce across multiple locations, including San Francisco, London, and Zurich. The startup is actively hiring engineers and researchers, particularly those with experience in building large-scale infrastructure.
The company is developing AI systems for physical environments, going beyond language-based tools such as chatbots and coding assistants. It targets industrial applications, focusing on models that can understand physical systems and processes. According to sources familiar with the company's plans, it aims to build systems trained on domain-specific data, including areas like engineering.
Strategic Investments and Partnerships
Prometheus is exploring a strategy to invest in companies across various sectors, including:
- Aviation
- Architecture
- Design
These investments could involve collecting data from partner companies to improve AI models. Bezos and Bajaj are reportedly working to raise large amounts of capital for a long-term investment vehicle, described by one person as a "Berkshire Hathaway-type holding company."
"Prometheus wants to back the progress of these industries, which will happen eventually with AI, but they don't want it to take 10 years," the person told FT.
The company is also considering partnerships with sovereign investment funds, including those from Singapore and Gulf nations, as it builds out its long-term plans.
Talent Movement in the AI Industry
The hiring comes amid significant talent movement across AI companies. Reports indicate that all 11 co-founders of xAI have now left the company, including Manuel Kroiss and Ross Nordeen, who departed at the end of March. Some exits have reportedly been linked to concerns around management.
The latest addition to Project Prometheus reflects its initiative to develop AI solutions for various industrial applications. This is especially important against the backdrop of current competition among AI companies in recruiting engineers and scientists, which results in constant job mobility within organizations.
