"Melinda Lewison, who leads investments at Bezos Expeditions, appears to have stepped down at some point in the last few months, documents filed with the Delaware, Florida, and Massachusetts secretaries of state show. That leaves Bezos with no direct representation on Slate's board as the company prepares to put its low-cost electric truck into production later this year. Slate did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Lewison and Bezos did not respond to emailed requests for comment."
"Lewison's departure raises questions about Bezos' support and involvement with the startup at a time when the Amazon founder is now apparently focused on robotics at his new startup, Project Prometheus. That company raised more than $6 billion late last year and is reportedly seeking $100 billion for a new fund focused on buying industrial companies in order to automate them with AI. The precise level of Bezos' involvement in Slate has always been difficult to divine."
"The company has never revealed how much money the Amazon founder contributed in its first funding round in 2023, which totaled around $120 million. Slate Auto also has not confirmed whether Bezos participated in the company's Series B round, which brought its total funding to around $700 million. Last month, Slate announced a $650 million Series C round, but only named one lead investor: TWG Global, a firm run by Guggenheim Partners CEO Mark Walter. Los Angeles-based VC firm Slauson & Co, an existing investor, confirmed to TechCrunch that it also participated."
"Chris Barman, Slate's first hire and its now-former CEO, said onstage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 that Bezos was "pretty hands-off." "We've had interface where we invited him in and he came and joined us once along the journey, and looked""
Melinda Lewison, who leads investments at Bezos Expeditions, left the board of directors of Slate Auto, an electric vehicle startup backed by Jeff Bezos. State filings in Delaware, Florida, and Massachusetts indicate the departure occurred within the last few months. With Lewison gone, Bezos has no direct representation on Slate’s board as the company plans to begin producing a low-cost electric truck later in the year. Slate did not provide comment, and neither Lewison nor Bezos responded to requests. The change raises questions about Bezos’ level of involvement while he focuses on robotics through Project Prometheus. Slate has not disclosed Bezos’ contributions in earlier funding rounds, and it has not confirmed his participation in a later round. Slate announced a $650 million Series C round with TWG Global as the only named lead investor, while Slauson & Co also participated.
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