Marc Andreessen and Reid Hoffman are among the list of billionaire backers rallying behind AI-powered mining prospect KoBold, with the brand now valued at nearly $3 billion.

A mining and artificial intelligence start-up backed by Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos has raised $537mn in its latest funding round, as it seeks to become a key player in the race for the critical minerals needed for the energy transition.

At the start of 2024, Jeff Bezos owned 988,251,817 shares of Amazon stock, according to the SEC. In November of the same year, he owned 909,709,895 shares. This means he sold roughly 8% of his