Jeff Bezos Just Made a Shocking Move: What His AI Startup Just Bought Will Change Everything!

In a recent development that adds intriguing layers to the artificial intelligence landscape, a group of researchers and technologists have connected themselves to a new venture led by Amazon's Jeff Bezos. Following a report by The New York Times, individuals like Guss, Ozair, and approximately three dozen others updated their LinkedIn profiles to reflect their affiliation with a startup named Prometheus, which remains shrouded in mystery.

As of now, details about Prometheus are scarce. Its founding date, formal name, and headquarters have not been publicly disclosed. However, clues surfaced from a dinner hosted by Bajaj in June, which featured guests who would later join the venture. Notably, at least two attendees, including Kamyar Azizzadenesheli, a former senior research scientist at Nvidia, have since updated their profiles to indicate their new roles at Prometheus.

While some notable figures were unable to attend the dinner, such as Ashish Vaswani and Jakob Uszkoreit—both former researchers at Google who coauthored a seminal AI paper—they are now serving as founding advisers to Prometheus while managing their own startups. This network of professionals suggests a serious commitment to advancing AI technologies, although none of the researchers have publicly commented on their involvement.

The Role of General Agents

Among the early players in this narrative is General Agents, a startup founded by Ozair in 2022. This San Francisco-based company launched its first product, Ace, in April 2023. Ace is described as a “real-time computer pilot,” designed to automate actions based on user prompts, which is part of a growing category of tools known as computer agents. These agents can carry out daily tasks across different applications on a laptop, streamlining workflows for users.

A demonstration video from General Agents showed Ace performing tasks with impressive speed, such as downloading an image from Google and sending it via iMessage in under 15 seconds. This capability highlights the increasing expectation for speed and efficiency in AI tools. Despite the advancements, how Ace will integrate into Prometheus' broader strategy remains unclear. New versions of Ace continue to roll out, with updates as recent as this month, indicating ongoing development.

The implications of General Agents being acquired by Prometheus have also caused a stir in the industry. Harsha Abegunasekara, the cofounder and CEO of Donely, which competes with Ace, noted that awareness of the acquisition came from investors in Ozair’s startup. While some investors express relief at having a well-regarded rival potentially off the market, others are wary of facing off against Bezos if Ace becomes integral to what Prometheus plans to develop.

“There is something important there for Prometheus to get the entire company,” Abegunasekara stated. “What General Agents really cracked early on is speed—Ace runs on your computer at light speed. We’ve been working on that for six months and haven’t achieved it yet.”

This commentary illustrates the competitive tension surrounding the AI field, where speed and integration capabilities are becoming crucial differentiators. As companies race to harness AI's potential, Prometheus appears to be positioning itself strategically, leveraging top talent and innovative technology to carve out its niche in the market.

As the story unfolds, Prometheus and its affiliated ventures could significantly influence the trajectory of AI technology and its impact on daily life. The interconnectedness of these individuals and their respective companies suggests that we may be standing on the cusp of important innovations that could reshape how we interact with technology.