Boston Dynamics Names Former Amazon AI Leader Rohit Prasad as CEO

Boston Dynamics has appointed Rohit Prasad as CEO, effective October 7, bringing the former Amazon AI leader into the company as it pushes to commercialize more capable robotic systems. The appointment was announced on October 6.

Key Takeaways

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• Rohit Prasad becomes Boston Dynamics CEO on October 7.
• His Amazon background includes Alexa and the Nova foundation models.
• The company is emphasizing AI integration and commercial scale across its robotics business.

Prasad spent 12 years at Amazon, where he served as senior vice president and head scientist for Alexa and Artificial General Intelligence. He helped build Alexa and later led development of the Nova model family. Earlier, he spent nearly 14 years at Raytheon BBN Technologies.

Boston Dynamics frames the hire around bringing advanced AI into robots for industrial and commercial environments. Its portfolio spans Spot, Stretch and the Atlas humanoid. Prasad is also expected to join the board, subject to approval.

Following Robert Playter’s retirement

Prasad’s appointment follows Robert Playter’s retirement earlier this year. Playter joined Boston Dynamics in 1994 and spent 32 years with the company, helping oversee its transition from robotics research to commercial products. His final day was February 27, with CFO Amanda McMaster stepping in as interim CEO while the board searched for a permanent successor.

For Atlas followers, the appointment comes alongside continued hardware development: we recently covered Boston Dynamics' new four-finger hands, designed to combine greater dexterity with practical durability and simulation-based learning.