Former Safety Chief Claims He Was Fired After Raising Safety Concerns
Alleges “Possibility of Fraud Against Investors”
The promising humanoid robot startup Figure AI has become embroiled in this legal dispute. The company’s former safety chief has filed a lawsuit, claiming he was fired after warning about the robot’s potentially fatal risks.
Yonhap News reported on the 22nd (local time), citing major U.S. outlets such as CNBC.
According to the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, former engineer Robert Grundel alleged that “the robots being developed by Figure AI are capable of causing serious injury to humans, and the company knowingly ignored this risk.”
Grundel emphasized that his internal concerns were not mere speculation but “the most direct and documented safety issues.” He repeatedly communicated the robots’ potential dangers to management, and specifically reported an incident in which one robot malfunctioned and left a scratch about 0.6 centimeters deep on a steel refrigerator door. He claimed that this force “would be sufficient to fracture a human skull.”
However, the core of the complaint is that his warnings provoked backlash from management. Grundel’s legal team stated that just days after he delivered his safety warnings, the company dismissed him in September, citing an “unclear change in business direction.” He believes this decision was not simply a personnel adjustment, but rather a move to block his demands for improved safety.
Grundel also pointed out that the product safety plan presented to investors was scrapped immediately after the investment round ended, arguing that “such actions could constitute fraud by misleading investors.”
Figure AI has yet to issue an official response. However, this lawsuit is seen as reigniting the debate over the prioritization of technological advancement versus safety in the rapidly growing humanoid robot industry.
Founded in 2022 and headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, Figure AI is focused on developing humanoid robots capable of performing tasks in place of humans. Last year, the company attracted $675 million (about 900 billion won) in investments from major tech firms including Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Microsoft, and Nvidia. As a result, Figure AI’s corporate value soared to $2.6 billion (about 3.47 trillion won).
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
