TechCrunch Startup News Is Jeff Bezos returning to the trenches with a new AI startup? Also, Bone AI raises $12M to challenge Asia’s defense giants with AI-powered robotics
7 snips
Nov 17, 2025 Jeff Bezos is making a comeback in the tech world by co-leading a new AI startup, Project Prometheus, which has secured a staggering $6.2 billion in funding. Meanwhile, South Korean startup Bone AI is making strides in defense robotics, blending AI with manufacturing to create advanced UAVs and UGVs. With a $12 million seed round and a strategic focus on defense contracts, Bone aims to fill the gap in Asia's defense robotics industry. Both ventures highlight a growing trend in AI’s role in physical and defense-centric industries.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Bezos Joins An AI-for-Physics Startup
- Jeff Bezos is partly backing Project Prometheus and will serve as co-CEO alongside Vic Bajaj.
- The startup focuses on AI for the physical economy across engineering and manufacturing sectors.
Simulating The Physical World At Scale
- Project Prometheus will build AI products for computers, aerospace, and automobiles, simulating the physical world to train models.
- The company already staffs researchers from Meta, OpenAI, and DeepMind to accelerate development.
Korea's Defense Gap Despite Manufacturing Power
- South Korea has massive defense order backlogs and is reindustrializing with expanded defense ties.
- Despite industrial strength, its defense tech startup ecosystem remains nascent and underfunded.