Prometheus, the physical AI startup co-founded by Jeff Bezos and Vik Bajaj — former co-founder of Verily, Google’s life sciences division — has raised $12 billion in funding at a $41 billion valuation. The latest round was backed by Bezos himself, along with JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, BlackRock, and other investors. According to CNBC, this marks the company’s second funding round; it launched late last year with an initial $6.2 billion raise.
Prometheus is developing what it calls an “artificial general engineer” — AI software able to autonomously design and manufacture complex physical systems ranging from jet engines to pharmaceutical compounds. Its sweeping goal is to replace large portions of traditional engineering work with artificial intelligence. While the technology will automate many parts of an engineer’s role, Bezos told CNBC that the resulting productivity surge will create what he terms “labor scarcity” — a situation in which demand for human workers far outstrips supply. That view puts him at odds with several influential figures in the tech industry. While certain AI executives forecast mass unemployment, Bezos holds a different view. “Major productivity gains in the economy will improve living standards,” he said. Many of today’s dual-income households will shift to relying on just a single earner. Perhaps those putting in extra hours will finally cut back on their overtime. The firm, which employs 150 people in its San Francisco, London, and Zurich offices, is remaining tight-lipped about what it has already developed. Bezos noted that a substantial share of the funding will be allocated to the company’s substantial computing requirements. Bezos has extensive experience managing large-scale workforces. Amazon — where he is executive chairman and the largest individual shareholder — employs more than 1.5 million people globally. Over the past year, under CEO Andy Jassy, the company has laid off tens of thousands of workers while accelerating its automation efforts.
At a $41 billion valuation, Prometheus ranks among the most richly funded AI startups in history and represents one of the largest single bets on the physical AI sector. However, it isn’t the sole company drawing significant attention from investors. In recent months, venture capitalists have ramped up investments in physical AI, a rapidly growing sector that founders and investors believe is far more defensible than pure software, since the complexities of the physical world create protective moats that code by itself cannot replicate.