Robert Playter, CEO of Boston Dynamics, has stepped down from the corporate. Playter took over as CEO in 2019 and led the corporate by means of its acquisition by Hyundai in 2020. Previous to taking up as CEO, Playter served as the corporate’s chief working officer. His final day with the corporate shall be February 27, 2026. In accordance with Boston Dynamics, Playter plans to retire.
Amanda McMaster, Boston Dynamic’s chief monetary officer, will take over as interim CEO till the board of administrators finds its subsequent chief.
Playter took over as CEO at an important time for Boston Dynamics. The corporate was lengthy identified for its analysis platforms, just like the hydraulically-powered Atlas humanoid, however was now trying to flip its know-how into industrial methods. Playter helped to deliver Spot, Stetch, and most lately, a completely electrical model of Atlas to market.
Since Spot, Boston Dynamics’ quadruped robotic, was launched in 2020, the robotic has been deployed in a variety of business settings. In 2022, the decommissioning crew on the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant began utilizing Spot to survey the location of the catastrophe and plan for the longer term. The corporate launched Stretch in 2022 and has since then seen curiosity from clients like DHL Provide Chain, GAP, H&M, and Efficiency Group – A Maersk Firm.
Boston Dynamics launched the industrial Atlas simply final yr, and an up to date productized model at CES 2026. All Atlas models for 2026 are already dedicated, delivery to the RMAC and Google DeepMind, with further clients deliberate for 2027. Hyundai goals to fabricate as much as 30,000 humanoids yearly by 2028.
“Robert Playter is an icon of the worldwide robotics business, and the complete Boston Dynamics workforce needs to precise our honest appreciation and gratitude for his management. From the earliest days of hopping robots, to the world’s first quadrupeds, to spearheading the complete humanoid business, Playter made his mark as a pioneer of innovation. He reworked Boston Dynamics from a small analysis and improvement lab right into a profitable enterprise that now proudly calls itself the worldwide chief in cellular robotics. He shall be sorely missed, however we hope he enjoys some well-deserved break day. Thanks, Rob,” Boston Dynamics mentioned in a press release in regards to the departure.
Marc Raibert based Boston Dynamics in 1992. Raibert is now govt director of the Robotics and AI Institute, a Hyundai-funded analysis lab that works carefully with Boston Dynamics. He emailed the next to The Robotic Report about Playter’s time at Boston Dynamics:
“For 27 years, Rob and I labored carefully collectively at Boston Dynamics, with Rob constructing the groups and teamwork, and serving to us all to remain sane. When it was time to steer the corporate from a pure analysis operation to extra of a commercially-focused one, Rob was the particular person for the job, so I requested if he wished to step up and I stepped down. I like what he and his workforce have achieved since.”
Playter’s closing phrases for Boston Dynamics employees
Playter introduced his departure in an e-mail to Boston Dynamics’ employees. His complete message is beneath.
Group,
For greater than 30 years, I’ve devoted my life to constructing the world’s finest robots alongside the world’s finest workforce, and I couldn’t be prouder of the corporate we’ve constructed collectively.
At present I’m making the extremely troublesome determination to step down as CEO of Boston Dynamics. Amanda McMaster will function interim CEO, and our Board of Administrators shall be main a search to seek out the corporate’s subsequent chief. We are going to host an all-employee assembly later this week to have fun our success and make the transition official. My final day with the corporate shall be Feb. 27.
I accepted the place of CEO within the fall of 2019 as the corporate stood at an inflection level. Our problem was clear: transition from an innovation lab to a sustainable, scalable enterprise whereas retaining the distinctive expertise and tradition that made our breakthroughs attainable. I’m proud to say that we’ve navigated these modifications effectively, culminating within the outstanding yr we simply skilled. We’ve achieved significant industrial milestones with Spot and Stretch, re-established Atlas’ management in a quickly rising business and deepened our strategic partnership with Hyundai and Google DeepMind. Our success hinges on the identical precept that guided this transition: we’re constructing for the long run. The robotics market is at an early stage, and corporations that mix technical excellence, industrial self-discipline, and affected person capital are finest positioned to seize what comes subsequent. Boston Dynamics has all three.
The corporate is in a robust place, poised for the subsequent stage of progress. A brand new CEO will deliver the expertise and vitality required for this subsequent part. Our present management workforce is powerful, succesful, and united. They know what this enterprise wants to realize as we put together to provide robots at mass scale, and I’ve full confidence that Amanda and the workforce will information Boston Dynamics by means of this transition part with out lacking a beat.
Boston Dynamics has been the experience of a lifetime. What this place has grow to be has exceeded something I may have ever imagined all these years in the past in our funky lab within the basement of the MIT Media Lab. We have now created one thing really particular right here, displaying that greatness comes from expertise, dedication and teamwork quite than celebrity standing. Lots of you will have heard me say that whether or not in sports activities or in enterprise, all of my most rewarding experiences have come as a teammate. Main this workforce has been the respect of my life.
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