Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder and former CEO, has re-emerged as a driving force at the tech giant, dedicating 95% of his time to advancing artificial intelligence initiatives. Speaking at the DealBook Summit on Wednesday, Bezos expressed his enduring connection to the company he founded 30 years ago, even after stepping down as CEO in 2021.
“My heart is in Amazon, my curiosity is in Amazon, and my fears are there, and my love is there,” Bezos said, reinforcing his deep ties to the company and its mission.
Bezos’s renewed focus on AI comes as Amazon seeks to assert itself in the rapidly evolving technology landscape. The company is currently developing over 1,000 internal AI applications and aims to leverage this momentum to remain competitive with industry giants like Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI.
One of the cornerstone projects under Bezos’s watch involves building a cutting-edge supercomputer in partnership with Anthropic, the AI startup in which Amazon recently invested $8 billion. This supercomputer is expected to power a multimodal AI model capable of analysing images, video, and text, further enhancing Amazon’s AI capabilities.
Although Bezos stepped down as CEO to focus on his space venture, Blue Origin, he continues to serve as Amazon’s executive chairman, actively supporting CEO Andy Jassy and the leadership team. His involvement mirrors a broader trend of tech founders, such as Google’s Larry Page and Sergey Brin, returning to their companies to steer AI-focused strategies.
“I’ll always be there to help, and right now, I’m putting a lot of time into it,” Bezos said. “It’s super interesting, so why not?”
Amazon’s AI ambitions are supported by significant investments in infrastructure and talent. The company is betting big on the transformative potential of artificial intelligence to enhance its services and operations, positioning itself as a serious contender in the ongoing AI race.
Bezos’s hands-on approach signals his commitment to Amazon’s future during this pivotal time in technological innovation. His involvement aligns with the company’s broader goals of integrating AI into various aspects of its operations, from customer service to cloud computing.
Bezos’s renewed focus on Amazon coincides with a surge in his net worth, which reached $228 billion last month, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The increase was driven by Amazon’s stock hitting a record $207.09 per share, boosting Bezos’s wealth by $7 billion as he continues to hold nearly 9% of the company.