Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, is re-engaging intensively with the company he established three decades ago, dedicating 95% of his time to artificial intelligence initiatives. Despite stepping down as CEO three years ago, Bezos emphasized his ongoing passion for Amazon’s evolution during his appearance at the DealBook Summit on Wednesday. This renewed focus on AI highlights Bezos’s commitment to driving innovation in one of the most transformative fields of technology, underscoring his continued influence on the company’s strategic direction.
Why Jeff Bezos is back at the company
“My heart is in Amazon, my curiosity is in Amazon, and my fears are there and my love is there,” Bezos said, emphasizing his ongoing involvement. The world’s second-richest man is particularly focused on helping Amazon become a leader in the rapidly evolving AI landscape, with the company currently developing 1,000 internal AI applications.
A key strategic move involves building a powerful supercomputer in collaboration with Anthropic, the AI startup in which Amazon has invested $8 billion. This initiative aims to provide Amazon with significant computing capabilities to compete against other tech giants, like Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI, in the AI race. The company is reportedly developing a multimodal AI model capable of processing images, video, and text.
While Bezos stepped down as CEO in 2021 to concentrate on Blue Origin, his rocket company, he remains Amazon’s executive chairman. He continues to support current CEO Andy Jassy and the leadership team, mirroring a trend seen with other tech founders like Google’s Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who returned to assist with AI initiatives.
Bezos is optimistic about the company’s future, drawing parallels to other tech leaders reinvesting in their original companies during the AI revolution. His deep engagement suggests Amazon is positioning itself as a serious contender in the rapidly expanding artificial intelligence market.
“I’ll always be there to help, and right now, I’m putting a lot of time into it,” Bezos said, adding, “It’s super interesting, so why not?”
Last month, Bezos’s net worth reached a record high of $228 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. This surge was attributed to an increase in Amazon’s stock price, which hit a record $207.09 per share after the recent US election results. Bezos, who owns almost 9% of Amazon, saw his wealth increase by $7 billion.
