Elon Musk mocks Jeff Bezos as 'copycat' over $6.2B AI startup Project Prometheus

On Monday, Elon Musk took to X to mock Jeff Bezos after reports surfaced that Bezos is partially funding and co-leading a new AI startup called Project Prometheus. Musk responded to a news article with "Haha no way" and a laughing emoji, followed by "Copy" and a cat emoji—a clear jab at Bezos for copying his own AI venture, xAI. The feud highlights the escalating competition between the two billionaires, who already rival each other in space (SpaceX vs. Blue Origin) and now in artificial intelligence.

Project Prometheus has raised $6.2 billion, making it one of the best-funded early-stage AI startups. The company aims to build AI systems that improve engineering and manufacturing across computers, aerospace, and automobiles—summed up by its LinkedIn tagline: "AI for the physical economy." Co-founder and co-CEO Vik Bajaj previously directed projects at Google X, home to Waymo and Wing. For Bezos, this is his first formal operational role since leaving Amazon's CEO position in 2021. As the AI market grows increasingly crowded, Project Prometheus’s focus on physical-world applications could differentiate it from giants like OpenAI and Google.