Bee, originally branded Bee Computer, developed a low-cost AI wearable bracelet and companion Apple Watch app designed to passively record a user's day-to-day life. The device captured conversations, locations, and context, then used large language models to transform those moments into searchable summaries, to-do lists, and personalised insights. Bee retailed the bracelet for around $49.99 alongside a $19 monthly subscription, positioning the product as an ambient AI assistant aimed at consumers rather than enterprises.
The company was co-founded by Maria de Lourdes Zollo and Ethan Sutin and based in San Francisco. Bee raised roughly $7 million in seed funding in 2024 from investors including Point72 Ventures and others, deploying the capital to ship hardware, build out its iOS and Android apps, and develop the always-listening AI memory layer that differentiated it from competing AI pin and pendant products.
The product attracted both enthusiasm and scrutiny. Privacy advocates raised concerns about an always-on microphone capturing not only the wearer but everyone around them, while early adopters praised the device for offering a far cheaper and more practical entry point into ambient AI than rivals such as Humane's AI Pin or Rabbit R1.
In July 2025, Amazon announced it had agreed to acquire Bee. Co-founder Maria de Lourdes Zollo confirmed the deal on LinkedIn, and Bee employees received offers to join Amazon's devices and services organisation. The acquisition signalled Amazon's continued push into ambient intelligence and wearable AI assistants alongside its existing Alexa and Echo ecosystem.
Following the transaction, Bee's standalone roadmap shifted under Amazon's stewardship, with the underlying technology expected to inform future ambient AI products from the parent company rather than continue as an independent consumer brand.