Tesla Inc. (TSLA) and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk couldn't resist taking a shot at Jeff Bezos on Monday after reports surfaced about the Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) founder's latest venture.

The Latest Salvo in a Long-Running Rivalry

Musk quoted a post from influencer Sawyer Merritt on X that shared news of Bezos's new startup, Project Prometheus. His response? "Haha no way 😂 Copy 🐈," he wrote, calling out Bezos as a copycat with his signature emoji flair.

The dig isn't exactly surprising given the history here. These two have been circling each other competitively for years. SpaceX and Blue Origin have been duking it out in the commercial space race. Bezos has also backed Slate Auto, which is developing an affordable EV pickup truck that would compete directly with Tesla. And now Project Prometheus looks set to go head-to-head with Musk's xAI venture in the artificial intelligence arena.

Inside Project Prometheus

So what exactly is Bezos building this time? Project Prometheus is reportedly developing AI tools specifically designed for automotive, space, robotics, scientific research and other specialized applications. The startup has already pulled in $6.2 billion in funding, which is serious money even by Silicon Valley standards.

The company has been aggressively recruiting talent from tech giants like Meta Platforms Inc. (META) and from OpenAI, the artificial intelligence research organization. That kind of hiring spree suggests Bezos is playing for keeps.

Blue Origin Updates

In related news, Bezos recently took to X to provide technical insights about Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket. He explained why the company aims to land "a few hundred feet away" from the Jacklyn landing site, offering details about the landing procedure following New Glenn's successful launch and landing last week.

Musk's Other Battles

While sparring with Bezos, Musk has been busy on other fronts. He advised billionaire philanthropist and Microsoft Corp (MSFT) co-founder Bill Gates to abandon his "crazy" short position on Tesla stock, especially as the shares rebounded following last week's decline.

Musk also pushed back against investor Jim Chanos, who criticized Tesla for inadequate spending on AI training for Full Self-Driving and other projects. Musk defended the strategy by explaining that the company held back on spending because "it wasn't yet the Limiting Factor for FSD." In other words, throwing more money at training wouldn't have solved the immediate technical challenges.

Market Movement

Tesla shares climbed 1.13% to $408.92 during Monday's regular trading session, then added another 0.30% in after-hours trading to reach $410.13.