Humanoid robotics company Figure has parted ways with its former partner, OpenAI, according to recent statements from Figure CEO Brett Adcock. Initially, OpenAI co-led Figure's Series B funding round in 2024, establishing a collaboration to develop advanced AI models for the robots.

Reasons Behind the Partnership Termination

Differing Technical Requirements for Robotics

Speaking on "The Shawn Ryan Show" this week, Adcock provided new context regarding the separation, which occurred less than a year after the initial agreement. He stated that while OpenAI excelled at chatbot development, AI specifically tailored for robotics demands a distinct set of techniques.

Adcock emphasized the practical nature of robotics development, noting, "In robotics, you've got to run the robot, see how it does." He explained that integrating the teams proved difficult, mentioning, "We just had a hard time getting them in the office."

Limited Value Beyond Branding

The CEO suggested that the collaboration provided "very little" tangible value to Figure, aside from the benefit of OpenAI's brand association. He praised OpenAI leadership's skills but felt the partnership hindered progress.

Figure's internal team, composed of "superstars" recruited from top AI firms like Google DeepMind, was developing the robot learning capabilities. Adcock noted that the OpenAI team primarily observed their progress during this phase.

The Shift to Internal AI Development

OpenAI's Pivot to Humanoids

The dynamic shifted when Adcock received a call from OpenAI outlining their intention to pursue humanoid development internally. Adcock recounted his reaction, stating, "I was just like, 'This is over.'"

He expressed concern over the information exchange moving forward, believing that sharing data would not be beneficial once the companies became direct competitors. OpenAI has since reportedly established a robotics lab with about 100 data collectors focused on teaching a robotic arm household tasks.

Recruitment Challenges and Brand Perception

The partnership also created obstacles in talent acquisition, Adcock revealed. Prospective candidates often assumed that Figure only handled the physical robot while OpenAI managed all model development.

Although Adcock clarified that Figure maintained its own model development team, the perception persisted, making recruitment challenging. He concluded that the relationship offered limited benefits beyond the initial brand recognition.

OpenAI has not provided a comment to Business Insider regarding these statements. However, Tao Xu, a technical staff member at OpenAI since 2019, reposted a clip of Adcock's interview on X, asserting that the claims were "not true."