Boston Dynamics CEO Robert Playter is stepping down after six years

Robert Playter, CEO of Boston Dynamics, announced on Tuesday that he will step down from his position effective immediately and will leave the company on February 27, as previously reported. A3. Under Playter’s leadership, Boston Dynamics worked its way through an acquisition from SoftBank that brought it to… Hyundai In 2021, it launched a new one An all-electric version of the humanoid robot Atlas In 2024. Just a few days ago, the company Posted another video of its Atlas research robots attempting rolling passes and running outdoors as more enterprise-ready versions begin to roll out.

Boston Dynamics announced at CES last month that the Atlas robots would go live Working in Hyundai car factories Starting in 2028, the robotics field is becoming increasingly crowded with competitors such as Tesla And shape, in addition to the artificial intelligence companies that have “Universal model“Technology designed for robotics.

Playter has been with Boston Dynamics for more than 30 years and has served as CEO since 2020. He replaces the company’s original CEO, Mark Raibert. Amanda McMaster, Boston Dynamics’ chief financial officer, will serve as interim CEO while the company’s board searches for a replacement for Playter.

“Boston Dynamics has been the trip of a lifetime. What this place has become has surpassed anything I could have imagined all those years ago in our funky lab in the basement of the MIT Media Lab,” Playter said in a letter to employees, which was shared with Edge. He also highlighted the company’s successes with its Spot, Stretch and Atlas robots.

“From the early days of jumping robots, to the world’s first quadrupeds, to leading the entire robotics industry, Playter has made his mark as a pioneer in innovation. He has transformed Boston Dynamics from a small R&D laboratory into a successful company that now proudly calls itself the world leader in mobile robotics,” Nicholas Noel, vice president of marketing and communications at Boston Dynamics, said in a statement to EdgeHe added: “We will miss him terribly, but we hope he enjoys some well-deserved time off. Thank you, Rob.”