The Future of Jobs? Robots Outnumber Human Employees at One of the Leading AI Companies
Figure AI has announced that robots now outnumber human employees within the company, marking a significant milestone in workplace automation. The development reflects the rapid expansion of humanoid robotics and the growing role of AI-driven automation across the global technology industry.
Figure AI, a rising robotics startup, has revealed a major shift in its workforce structure, announcing that the number of robots operating within the company has surpassed the number of human employees for the first time. The milestone highlights the accelerating adoption of automation and artificial intelligence across the technology sector.
Robots Are Joining Faster Than Employees
Figure AI CEO Brett Adcock announced the development on X, sharing a chart that tracked the growth of both human workers and robots between 2022 and 2026.
According to the data, the company maintained only a limited number of robots until the first quarter of 2025. However, robot deployment surged once production ramped up, exceeding 100 units by the end of 2025 and reaching approximately 740 robots in the second quarter of 2026.
Meanwhile, the number of human employees grew steadily from almost zero in 2022 to around 400 by the end of 2025. The workforce continued expanding throughout 2026, reaching between 650 and 660 employees. Despite this growth, robot adoption significantly outpaced human hiring.
No Signs of Slowing Expansion
In a separate post, Adcock shared an image showing dozens of humanoid robots packed in shipping crates alongside the caption “Power On,” signaling the company’s intention to continue scaling production and deployment.
The announcement comes as major technology companies increasingly embrace automation and AI. Firms such as Amazon and Meta have cut thousands of jobs in recent years while expanding investments in artificial intelligence technologies. According to Layoffs.fyi, more than 119,000 technology-sector employees worldwide have lost their jobs since the beginning of this year.
What Is Figure AI?
Figure AI is one of the leading startups focused on humanoid robotics. The company recently attracted attention with its “Human vs. Machine” experiment, which pitted its Figure 03 robot against a human trainee in an eight-hour parcel-sorting shift.
Although the human participant won the challenge, Adcock remarked that it could represent “the last human victory over robots” in such tasks.
Competition in the humanoid robotics market is intensifying. Tesla continues developing its Optimus robot ahead of a commercial launch, while Chinese companies Unitree and Agibot are making rapid progress, underscoring the global race to develop the next generation of intelligent humanoid robots.