watch nowPrometheus is one of Jeff Bezos' newest ventures and just raised a $12 billion funding round.The artificial intelligence startup launched in November with $6.2 billion in funding. Bezos, who stepped down as Amazon CEO in 2021, serves as co-CEO alongside Vik Bajaj, a professor at Stanford University's School of Medicine who previously co-founded Alphabet's Verily, a research lab dedicated to life sciences.Prometheus is focused on building AI models for physical tasks, including engineering, manufacturing and drug design. The startup has remained tight-lipped about its initial products, and it has been busy recruiting talent from companies including OpenAI, Google DeepMind and Nvidia.Bezos told CNBC last month that Prometheus is working on an "artificial intelligence engineer" that would make it easier for engineers to design physical objects.He said Prometheus is "something I got so excited about that I became the co-CEO of the company, putting a lot of time into it, a lot of energy into it."2 Min AgoThe vision for artificial engineerswatch now8 Min AgoPrometheus is developing tools to speed up the 'invention loop'Bezos said Prometheus is building a system that can accelerate the "invention loop," so that people can build tools faster. "This is an age-old dream," Bezos said. "The idea that you might build a set of tools that could actually do engineering, an artificial general engineer. It's a dream that we've had, as people thought about for decades, but it's never really been possible. But now it is, and that's what we've been working on since late 2024."He said Prometheus has assembled a team of about 150 people. "It's hard work, we're grinding, but it's also very interesting," Bezos said.— Annie Palmer18 Min AgoPrometheus raises $12 billion series B at $41 billion valuation Bezos' AI startup Prometheus raised $12 billion in series B funding, valuing the company at roughly $41 billion. —Annie Palmer24 Min AgoBlue Origin recovering from fiery rocket explosionFire during an explosion of the uncrewed Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket during a test on a launchpad in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., May 28, 2026, in this screengrab obtained from a handout video.NASASpaceflight.com | ReutersBezos' Blue Origin was dealt a setback last month when one of its New Glenn rockets erupted into a fireball during a hot-fire test at a Space Force launch facility in Cape Canaveral, Florida. During the test, Blue Origin's massive reusable rocket was secured to the launchpad, while its engines were ignited to make sure they worked properly in preparation for an upcoming launch. The test didn't go as planned, and the rocket exploded.Bezos said at the time that it's "too early to know the root cause but we're already working to find it. Very rough day, but we'll rebuild whatever needs rebuilding and get back to flying. It's worth it." NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman told CNBC earlier this month that it will "take some serious time" to restore the launchpad. Blue Origin had just returned New Glenn to the launchpad after an April incident where the company delivered an AST SpaceMobile satellite into the wrong orbit. The New Glenn rocket was set to ferry a batch of 48 satellites for Amazon's nascent Leo internet-from-space venture. —Annie Palmer47 Min AgoWhat we know about PrometheusAmazon founder Jeff Bezos gestures as he speaks at the main panel of Italian Tech Week 2025 in Turin, Italy October 3, 2025. Remo Casilli | ReutersPrometheus has mostly operated in stealth since its launch in November, sharing few details about its objectives or potential product pipeline. Bezos offered a rare window into Prometheus when he spoke to CNBC last month. He said the company has "nothing to do with robotics," and that it's developing an artificial general engineer. "We're building tools that will make it much easier for engineers to design physical objects," Bezos said. He described the system as a "very, very modern version" of CAD, or computer-aided design software, though he cautioned that he's "really oversimplifying here, and it's premature for me to give much detail about Prometheus." Prometheus operates out of San Francisco, London and Zurich, Switzerland. Prometheus' LinkedIn page states that the startup has hired about 120 employees. The page says Prometheus' mission is "AI for the physical economy." —Annie Palmer1 Hour AgoBezos' post-Amazon pursuitsPrometheus marks the first time Bezos has assumed a CEO role since he left the helm of Amazon, which he founded, in July 2021. Bezos remains Amazon's executive chairman, but he has increasingly turned his attention to other pursuits.Bezos founded Blue Origin, a rocket startup that competes with Elon Musk's SpaceX for government contracts and satellite launch missions. He's also executive chair of the Bezos Earth Fund, a $10 billion climate and biodiversity fund.—Annie Palmer1 Hour AgoBezos spends his time on AI at Amazon, Blue Origin and Prometheuswatch nowBezos told CNBC last month that AI has been a huge part of his focus over the last few years."My time at Amazon is spent on AI, my time at Prometheus is spent on AI ... and my time at Blue is largely spent on AI," he said.—Chris Eudaily