Bezos Returns to the Trenches, Bitcoin Slides to $93K, Ford Joins Amazon Auto Sales, and Bangladesh Sentences Ex-PM Hasina to Death

18th November 2025

Jeff Bezos is stepping back into an operational role as co-CEO of a new AI startup, Bitcoin is testing fresh lows as sentiment sours, Ford is officially selling cars on Amazon, and Bangladesh has handed former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina a historic death sentence in absentia. All this and more in today’s Read  It And Eat!

Major Headlines

• Jeff Bezos reportedly returns to the trenches as co-CEO of new AI startup, Project Prometheus

Amazon’s founder Jeff Bezos seems to be getting his hands dirty once again: The billionaire is partly backing a new AI startup called Project Prometheus that has raised $6.2 billion in funding, and will take on duties as co-chief executive of the new venture, citing several sources familiar with the project. Bezos will share the position with Vik Bajaj, who previously led and co-founded Google’s life sciences division. 

Bajaj also co-founded Verily, a biotech startup owned by Alphabet, and is the co-founder of Foresite Labs, an AI-focused affiliate of investment firm Foresite Capital, though the report notes he recently left the firm to start Prometheus, the report said. Bezos would be returning to operations for the first time since he stepped away from Amazon in 2021.

The startup is going to build AI products for engineering and manufacturing in various fields like computers, aerospace, and automobiles. Project Prometheus is focused on “AI for the physical economy,” per its LinkedIn page, and the report noted that its work will resemble that of Periodic Labs, which is building technology to speed up scientific research by simulating the physical world to train AI models. The company already has almost 100 staff, including researchers from AI firms like Meta, OpenAI, and Google DeepMind, the report said. Amazon and Bajaj did not immediately respond to a request for comment. TechCrunch

• Bitcoin Touches $93k Low as Market Sentiment Hits Extreme Fear 

Bitcoin (BTC-USD) remained under pressure on Monday, falling below $92,000 and bringing its losses from record highs in October to more than 26%. The drop is prompting questions about whether this remains a temporary correction or the beginning of another four-year cycle that led to a longer-term sell-off. 

The token has declined sharply since $19 billion in leveraged positions were liquidated last month, a move exacerbated by long-term holders taking profits. The current sell-off also coincides with the window in which bitcoin historically peaks, approximately between 400 and 600 days after its last halving event, which occurred in April 2024. "This self-fulfilling prophecy has led to a market sell-off for bitcoin in Q4’25," Bernstein analysts led by Gautam Chhugani wrote. "However, we believe, the following evidence points to a short term consolidation into a new local bottom and not the historical 60-70% drawdown seen in previous cycles."

Bitcoin reached a record high above $126,000 per token on Oct. 6. The analysts noted an increase in ETF adoption by institutional investors, reflecting "higher quality and consistent ownership" of bitcoin. The Trump administration's support for bitcoin and the Clarity Act legislation in Congress also represent positive drivers. "The current market environment does not feel like a cycle-peak to us." Chhugani said. "It rather feels like a structural multi-year trend of institutional participation in Bitcoin and crypto capital markets, with occasional corrections along the way." "We are observing if Bitcoin can bottom close to ~$80K range seen immediately post the Trump election. We believe, the current market weakness may provide an attractive entry for new investors," he added.

Strategy's (MSTR) continued buying of the cryptocurrency also offers some level of support, with the company on Monday revealing that it purchased another 8,178 tokens at an average price of $102,171 each, for a total of $835 million. Meanwhile, 10X Research noted that new buyer appetite stalled around Oct. 10, while the Fed's more hawkish tone in recent days "has tilted the macro balance, leaving the market increasingly fragile." The firm noted a critical level of $93,000, noting that "a break below could trigger an accelerated liquidation cascade." AOL

• Ford to sell used vehicles on Amazon, joining Hyundai

Amazon (AMZN.O), shoppers can browse and buy Ford Motor (F.N), vehicles on the e-commerce platform starting on Monday, joining Hyundai in adding online options for customers who want to avoid dealership lots. The Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker and the tech company said customers will be able to shop a participating dealer's inventory of used vehicles directly through Amazon.

The program is focused on Los Angeles, Seattle, and Dallas to start, and will initially offer only certified pre-owned vehicles, which are used models that pass rigorous inspections and are sold with specific warranties. Automakers have been trying to provide smoother, online-focused shopping experiences for those wary of spending hours in dealerships. Tesla (TSLA.O), sells electric vehicles directly to consumers online, while Ford and General Motors (GM.N), are bound by U.S. state laws to sell through franchise dealers.

Ford CEO Jim Farley has said Tesla's direct sales model affords it a significant cost advantage. Under his leadership, Ford has expanded online availability for customers, especially on electric models. Hyundai Motor in late 2023 said it would sell new models on Amazon, becoming the first automaker to do so. Ford is the second car company to offer its models on the platform, a spokesperson for Amazon Autos said. Ford said 160 to 180 dealers expressed interest in the program, and about 20 are in the process of launching sales through Amazon. Customers can complete their purchase online, but must pick up their vehicles from their selected dealer.  Reuters

• Bangladesh's ousted PM Hasina sentenced to death for student crackdown

Bangladesh's ousted prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, was sentenced to death in her absence on Monday at the end of a months-long trial that found her guilty of ordering a deadly crackdown on a student-led uprising last year. People in the packed courtroom: including families of victims  cheered and clapped, and some in the crowds outside sank to their knees and offered up prayers after the verdict, the harshest against a leader in the country's history. 

Hasina who fled to neighbouring India in August 2024 at the height of the uprising against her government issued a statement dismissing the court as a "rigged tribunal".

The interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus described it as a "historic verdict", but called for calm and warned that it would deal with any disorder. After the verdict, the Bangladeshi foreign ministry called on India to extradite Hasina and former interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, who was also sentenced to death in the same case. India said it noted the verdict, was committed to the best interests of the people of Bangladesh and would "engage constructively", without going into more detail.

Earlier on Monday, police clashed with protesters demanding the demolition of what remains of the house of Hasina's father in Dhaka. Much of it was destroyed last year. Police and paramilitary forces were deployed around government buildings and the tribunal complex, and there was tight security across the capital and other major cities. India said it noted the verdict, was committed to the best interests of the people of Bangladesh and would "engage constructively", without going into more detail. Reuters

Minor Headlines 

• Congress to revisit stock trading rules amid Fed scandal  AOL

  
  

• More than half of US homes lost value in the past year  Yahoo.Finance

  
  

• Trump says US plans to sell F-35 jets to Saudi Arabia  Reuters

  
  

•  Retail investors' dip-buying confidence is waning Reuters

  
  

• Number of new international students in US fell by 17%  Financial Times 

  
  

• China raised gold reserves by 15 tons in September  Bloomberg

  
  

• Tech billionaires want to build data centers in space Wall Street Journal

  
  

• Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic will retire Wall Street Journal