Podcast Episode
Boston Dynamics Hires Tesla's Former Optimus Chief in Major Talent Acquisition
January 17, 2026
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Hyundai Motor Group has appointed Milan Kovac, the former head of Tesla's humanoid robot program, as a group adviser and outside director at Boston Dynamics. The announcement, made on Friday January 17 2026, represents a significant strategic move in the intensifying competition for dominance in the humanoid robotics market.
Kovac spent nearly a decade at Tesla, where he led both the Autopilot driver assistance system and the Optimus humanoid robot program. He was promoted to senior vice president in early 2025 but announced his departure in June of that year, citing a need to spend more time with family abroad. His exit was effective immediately, and reports indicated that it caused production delays and prompted an unexpected redesign of the Optimus program.
Boston Dynamics will begin mass production of Atlas at its Boston headquarters immediately, with initial deployments scheduled for 2026. All Atlas deployments for this year are already fully committed, with fleets scheduled to ship to Hyundai's Robotics Metaplant Application Center and Google DeepMind in the coming months.
The Kovac appointment is the second major talent acquisition for Hyundai this month. On January 13, the company named Doctor Minwoo Park, a former vice president at Nvidia and Tesla, to lead its Advanced Vehicle Platform division and autonomous driving subsidiary 42dot.
A Hyundai official stated that Kovac is widely recognized as a leader in AI and robotics, and his appointment is expected to accelerate innovation at Hyundai and Boston Dynamics while strengthening their global competitiveness.
During Tesla's Q3 earnings call, Elon Musk said the Optimus V3 humanoid robot will be unveiled publicly in February or March 2026. Pilot production of Optimus V3 units is underway at the Fremont Factory, where Tesla aims to ramp toward a one million unit annual production line by late 2026.
Tesla's approach has focused on leveraging its expertise in autonomous driving and computer vision to develop humanoid robots, with plans to eventually produce millions of units annually. However, the departure of key leadership like Kovac raises questions about the company's ability to execute on its ambitious robotics timeline.
The humanoid robotics industry is expected to grow significantly over the coming years, with applications ranging from manufacturing and logistics to healthcare and service industries. Companies that can successfully deploy autonomous, reliable humanoid robots at scale stand to capture significant market share in what many analysts predict will be a multi trillion dollar industry.
The Timing of the Announcement
The hiring comes just days after Boston Dynamics unveiled its production-ready Atlas humanoid robot at CES 2026, where it won the Best Robot award. Unlike Tesla's Optimus demonstrations, which have faced scrutiny for relying heavily on human teleoperation, the new Atlas was shown operating autonomously inside Hyundai's actual factories, performing tasks like parts sequencing using AI developed in partnership with Google DeepMind.Boston Dynamics will begin mass production of Atlas at its Boston headquarters immediately, with initial deployments scheduled for 2026. All Atlas deployments for this year are already fully committed, with fleets scheduled to ship to Hyundai's Robotics Metaplant Application Center and Google DeepMind in the coming months.
Hyundai's Robotics Ambitions
Hyundai has committed 26 billion dollars in US investments through 2028, including a robotics facility capable of producing 30,000 units annually. Initial deployments of Atlas are scheduled for this year at Hyundai facilities, with integration at the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America in Georgia planned for 2028.The Kovac appointment is the second major talent acquisition for Hyundai this month. On January 13, the company named Doctor Minwoo Park, a former vice president at Nvidia and Tesla, to lead its Advanced Vehicle Platform division and autonomous driving subsidiary 42dot.
Strategic Implications
Kovac will provide strategic advice on AI and engineering initiatives across Hyundai and Kia, contributing to discussions on mid to long term strategy and commercialization across the company's portfolio of robotics platforms, including Spot, Stretch, Orbit and Atlas.A Hyundai official stated that Kovac is widely recognized as a leader in AI and robotics, and his appointment is expected to accelerate innovation at Hyundai and Boston Dynamics while strengthening their global competitiveness.
Tesla's Optimus Program
Meanwhile, Tesla continues to push forward with its Optimus program despite the leadership change. The company has deployed Generation 3 hardware at Giga Texas, with thousands of Optimus units now integrated into production lines for the upcoming Cybercab and 4680 battery cells.During Tesla's Q3 earnings call, Elon Musk said the Optimus V3 humanoid robot will be unveiled publicly in February or March 2026. Pilot production of Optimus V3 units is underway at the Fremont Factory, where Tesla aims to ramp toward a one million unit annual production line by late 2026.
The Competitive Landscape
The appointment underscores the intensifying competition in the humanoid robotics market. Boston Dynamics, backed by Hyundai's massive manufacturing infrastructure and partnerships with Google DeepMind, is positioning itself as a leader in commercially viable humanoid robots that can operate autonomously in real world industrial environments.Tesla's approach has focused on leveraging its expertise in autonomous driving and computer vision to develop humanoid robots, with plans to eventually produce millions of units annually. However, the departure of key leadership like Kovac raises questions about the company's ability to execute on its ambitious robotics timeline.
The humanoid robotics industry is expected to grow significantly over the coming years, with applications ranging from manufacturing and logistics to healthcare and service industries. Companies that can successfully deploy autonomous, reliable humanoid robots at scale stand to capture significant market share in what many analysts predict will be a multi trillion dollar industry.
Published January 17, 2026 at 2:32pm
