1X CEO Opens Up on the 'Magical' and 'Hard' Realities of Bringing Humanoid Robots Home

In a recent, detailed interview on the "Relentless" YouTube channel, 1X CEO Bernt Børnich offered a candid look into the philosophy and challenges behind the company's push to bring its NEO humanoid robot into homes. Moving beyond typical product demos, Børnich explored the surprising nuances of human-robot interaction, the immense difficulty of real-world deployment, and the long-term vision that has guided the company for over a decade.

The conversation comes at a pivotal time for the Norwegian firm, which is reportedly seeking up to $1 billion in a new funding round and recently gained mainstream attention through a chaotic live stream with YouTuber IShowSpeed. Børnich's reflections provide crucial context for these moves, grounding them in a long-held, human-centric design ethos.

Designing Beyond "Dark Sci-Fi"

From the outset, Børnich emphasized a conscious effort to steer clear of the "hard dark sci-fi future" that often influences robot aesthetics. He described this look as a "cheat code" for coolness that doesn't align with what people actually want in their living spaces.

"We want something that's like relatable and like soft," Børnich explained, noting that his Scandinavian design roots may play a role. The goal is to redefine how humans communicate with artificial entities, creating companions rather than just tools.

This philosophy has led to surprising discoveries. Børnich recounted the first time a NEO robot sat down next to him on a couch for a conversation, describing it as a moment that fundamentally altered the interaction in an unexpected way. He explained that the simple act of sitting down "completely shifts the perspective" of the entire interaction, a social dynamic he hadn't fully appreciated until he experienced it with an embodied AI. "I've never kind of noticed it until it happened with a robot," he said.

The "Freaking Hard" Reality of the Real World

While the vision is one of seamless integration, Børnich was frank about the immense operational challenges. When asked about the most surprising part of putting NEO into people's homes, his answer was simple: "How hard it is... The real world is so freaking hard."

He recounted early experiences with a robot in his own home as being "like getting another kid" that would constantly get into trouble. Beyond complex AI tasks, the most persistent hurdles are often the most mundane. "Wi-Fi is still hard," he admitted. "Wi-Fi is almost harder than robotics."

This focus on reliability and real-world robustness is now the company's primary concern, especially as it plans to scale manufacturing. The company's first-principles approach to engineering—developing its own actuators, sensors, and software from scratch over the last decade—was positioned as a key advantage in building a system that is safe, capable, and ultimately affordable.

From "Have To" to "Want To"

Ultimately, Børnich framed the mission of 1X as one of human augmentation, not replacement. The goal, he stated, is to "turn the 'have to' into 'want to'," freeing people from mundane labor to pursue more meaningful activities.

He shared anecdotes of NEO's utility, from tidying up the house to fetching drinks for friends during a board game night. While these tasks are simple, they represent the first steps toward a future of "gradually useful" robots that collaborate with humans.

"We didn't wake up one day and just suddenly like now all white collar work is automated," he said, drawing a parallel to the broader AI field. "We're all more productive because we're collaborating with this great tool... and [humanoids] will be no different." For now, that collaboration starts with solving the simple, subtle, and surprisingly difficult problems of the real world—one reliable Wi-Fi connection at a time.

Watch the interview below: