Figure AI at Three: A Look Back at the Humanoid Startup's Rapid Ascent

Three Years In: Figure AI's Ambitious Bid to Define Humanoid Robotics

Sunnyvale, CA – Today, Figure AI, the ambitious startup aiming to deploy general-purpose humanoid robots, marks its third anniversary. In a remarkably short period, the company, founded by serial entrepreneur Brett Adcock in May 2022, has navigated a path from a nascent concept to a significant player in the burgeoning field of humanoid robotics, attracting substantial investment and forging high-profile partnerships along the way.

From Vision to Hardware: Early Days and Figure 01

Figure AI launched with a clear and audacious goal: to build humanoid robots capable of addressing labor shortages and augmenting human capabilities across various industries. Adcock, known for co-founding Vettery and Archer Aviation, personally bootstrapped the company with an initial $100 million. He assembled a team of seasoned roboticists, including Chief Technology Officer Dr. Jerry Pratt, a veteran of IHMC with extensive experience in humanoid locomotion.

The company operated largely in stealth initially, focusing on developing its first prototype, Figure 01. By late 2022, a full-scale design was complete, and in March 2023, Figure emerged publicly, proclaiming Figure 01 as "the world's first commercially viable general purpose humanoid robot." While initial announcements were met with the usual industry skepticism, the caliber of the team lent credibility to their claims. Throughout 2023, Figure showcased Figure 01's capabilities, including dynamic walking and basic manipulation tasks, meeting its goal of a walking bipedal robot within its first year.

Funding the Future: Securing Capital and Alliances

Figure's technological progress was matched by significant fundraising success. In May 2023, the company secured $70 million in a Series A round led by Parkway Venture Capital, with Adcock personally contributing $20 million. This was followed by a $9 million equity investment from Intel Capital in July 2023.

The pivotal moment in Figure's financial trajectory arrived in February 2024 with a massive $675 million Series B funding round. This round, which valued the company at approximately $2.6 billion, included a consortium of tech heavyweights: Microsoft, the OpenAI Startup Fund, Nvidia, Jeff Bezos's Bezos Expeditions, and Amazon's Industrial Innovation Fund, among others. This influx of capital was earmarked for scaling manufacturing, hiring, and advancing AI development.

Concurrently with the Series B funding, Figure announced a strategic collaboration with OpenAI to develop specialized generative AI models for its humanoids, aiming to enhance their ability to process language and reason. The company also committed to using Microsoft Azure for its AI infrastructure.

Technological Evolution: Figure 02, Helix AI, and Manufacturing Scale-Up

Development continued apace, leading to the unveiling of Figure 02 in August 2024. This second-generation robot featured upgraded hardware, including improved dexterity with 16-joint hands, enhanced sensors, and increased onboard computing power, initially leveraging OpenAI's models for conversational capabilities.

A significant strategic shift occurred in early 2025. In February, Figure announced it was ending its AI model development partnership with OpenAI, citing a "major breakthrough" with its own in-house system, codenamed "Helix." Described as a Vision-Language-Action (VLA) model, Helix is designed to enable Figure's robots to perform complex tasks in response to natural language commands without task-specific fine-tuning. The company positioned this move as a step towards deeper vertical integration, arguing that the core challenge lay in AI for high-frequency robotic control in the physical world.

To support its ambitions of mass deployment, Figure unveiled "BotQ" in March 2025, a high-volume manufacturing facility in California with an initial planned output of up to 12,000 robots per year. The company also revealed it had completed the design of its next-generation Figure 03 robot, with affordability and high-volume manufacturability in mind, utilizing processes like injection molding and die-casting. A novel aspect of the BotQ strategy is the plan to use Figure's own humanoids in the robot assembly process.

Real-World Deployments and Navigating Perceptions

Figure's first major commercial agreement came in January 2024 with BMW Manufacturing. The partnership aimed to deploy Figure humanoids in BMW's Spartanburg, South Carolina automotive plant for tasks in the body shop, materials handling, and other factory operations. By August 2024, a Figure 02 robot was reportedly being tested on the factory floor.

However, the BMW deployment also became a point of public discussion. In early 2025, reports, notably from Fortune magazine, suggested the initial deployment was more limited than some of Figure's public statements implied. While Figure CEO Brett Adcock touted a "fleet of robots performing end-to-end operations," BMW clarified that the initial phase involved a smaller number of robots in evaluation. This led to Adcock publicly disputing the reporting and threatening legal action against Fortune, highlighting the fine line between ambitious promotion and the complex realities of deploying cutting-edge technology. Despite these differing accounts, Figure recently claimed a Figure 02 robot completed a 20-hour continuous run at the BMW plant in May 2025, signaling ongoing progress.

Reported discussions with logistics giant UPS have also surfaced, hinting at another major potential market for Figure's humanoids, though no formal deployment plans have been confirmed.

The Road Ahead

As Figure AI enters its fourth year, it stands as a prominent, well-funded entity in a rapidly evolving and competitive humanoid robotics landscape. The company has demonstrated impressive speed in hardware development, secured significant partnerships, and made bold moves in its AI strategy.

The challenges, however, remain substantial. Scaling manufacturing to meet ambitious targets (reportedly aiming for 100,000 robots by 2029), proving the economic viability and reliability of its humanoids in demanding real-world environments, and navigating intense competition from players like Tesla, Agility Robotics, and others will be critical. The immense expectations set by its rapid valuation growth and Adcock's confident pronouncements also mean Figure will continue to operate under intense scrutiny.

Figure's journey over the next few years will be pivotal in determining whether it can translate its early momentum and technological promise into a transformative force in the future of work and automation.