Who is Vikram ‘Vik’ Bajaj, Jeff Bezos’s co-CEO at $6 billion AI startup?

Vikram “Vik” Bajaj has been appointed co-chief executive of Project Prometheus, the secretive and heavily funded new artificial-intelligence venture that he will lead alongside Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Backed by more than six billion dollars in initial capital, Prometheus is aiming to develop powerful AI systems tailored for the physical economy, from advanced manufacturing to complex engineered products.

Bajaj, a veteran of Verily, Google X, GRAIL, and Foresite Labs, steps into the role with a long track record of building science-driven companies.

Who is Vik Bajaj?

Vikram “Vik” Bajaj is a scientist, physicist, and chemist whose career spans academia, biotechnology and artificial intelligence.

He recently updated his LinkedIn profile – it now puts him down as co-founder and co-chief executive of Project Prometheus, a new AI venture that has reportedly raised billions in funding and is backed in part by Jeff Bezos. Bezos will serve as co-CEO of the startup alongside Bajaj, according to a New York Times report.

Bajaj co-founded Xaira Therapeutics in January 2023, and he continues to serve as Director and Interim President, according to his LinkedIn profile.

He has been a Managing Director at Foresite Capital since October 2017, helping shape investments across technology, data science, precision health, and biotechnology.

(Also read: Elon Musk reacts as Jeff Bezos enters AI race with $6.2 billion startup: ‘Copycat’)

He is the co-founder and CEO of Foresite Labs, a role he took up in October 2018.

Prior to joining Foresite, Vik was the Chief Scientific Officer of GRAIL, a life sciences and healthcare company working to detect cancer early when it can be cured.

Time at Google and education

Vik Bajaj also co-founded Verily (Google Life Sciences) and served as its Chief Scientific Officer from March 2013 to October 2016.

The NY Times reported that he worked closely with Google’s co-founder Sergey Brin at Google’s X, a research initiative often called “The Moonshot Factory.”

He has been an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine since September 2014 and also served as an Advisory Board Member for the UC Berkeley College of Chemistry from February 2015 to August 2021.

Bajaj earned his Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he conducted advanced research in the physical sciences.

Before that, he completed a combined Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science degree in biochemistry at the University of Pennsylvania.

His scientific awards include the Anatole Abragam Prize (2012), two R&D 100 Awards (2011 and 2013), and the DOE LBL Innovation Grant (2013), as per his profile on the Xaira Therapeutics website.