Jeff Bezos Says AI May Not Kill Jobs As Prometheus Raises $12B

Jeff Bezos said AI will not erase U.S. jobs, arguing the technology could cut working hours as his startup Prometheus reached a $41 billion valuation.

Key Points:

Bezos said AI could create labor scarcity rather than mass unemployment.

Prometheus raised $12 billion in a Series B round, Axios reported.

Public concern remains high as layoffs tied to AI continue across industries.

Bezos AI View

Bezos rejected a central fear in the AI debate, saying the technology is more likely to lift productivity than destroy the labor market.

The Amazon founder made the comments to CNBC as Prometheus, his physical AI venture, announced a $12 billion Series B raise at a $41 billion valuation, according to Axios.

He said many forecasts are too bleak. In his view, automation could make labor scarcer because workers may choose shorter weeks, less overtime or single-income households.

“A lot of people who, for example, today have two-earner households, perhaps one of those earners will choose not to be in the job market, so they’ll become a one-earner household. Maybe some people who are working overtime will stop working overtime, because they don’t want to work overtime,” he said.

Prometheus launched in November with $6.2 billion in backing. Bezos serves as co-CEO with Vik Bajaj, who previously co-founded Verily, an Alphabet subsidiary.

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Prometheus Funding

Prometheus employs about 150 people and builds AI tools for engineering and manufacturing physical products. The round included JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, BlackRock, DST Global and Arch Venture Partners, while Bezos also invested.

The valuation is four times the company’s launch figure. That jump shows investors are still willing to fund capital-intensive AI companies, even as concern over workplace disruption grows.

A recent Pew Research Center survey found that half of U.S. adults feel more concerned than excited about AI in daily life. BeInCrypto has also reported on layoffs linked to AI adoption.

The debate has widened through 2026 as companies test AI systems for coding, customer service, research and operations. Earlier fears focused on office work, but Prometheus points to a broader question, whether AI will reshape physical industries as quickly as software.

Alexey Bondarev

Alexey Bondarev is the Head of Content at Yellow.com, having reported on crypto for the last 10 years. He specializes in in-depth Research and Learn pieces, with a focus on analytical reporting, industry context, and the bigger forces shaping crypto, from the AI era and security technologies to fintech innovation. He believes that everything digital will imminently overcome everything analogue and is working hard to make that come true.