1X Technologies

OK.

In late 2025, a Norwegian-American company called 1X Technologies opened pre-orders for their bipedal home robot, NEO, specifically the updated NEO Gamma model.

And these are actively shipping to early adopters this year in 2026.

And the pricing model really reflects the experimental nature of the tech.

Es una irrupción directa en el territorio de Microsoft, convirtiendo al propio Windows en un canal de distribución para la pila de modelos de Google.

Y en el frente del hardware, SoftBank está en conversaciones para respaldar a 1X Robotics, la startup de robótica humanoide que el propio fondo de OpenAI sembró en 2023, con una valoración que pondría el acuerdo a la par de la adquisición separada de ABB Robotics por parte de SoftBank por cinco mil cuatrocientos millones de dólares.

La IA física es claramente el próximo gran polo de capital.

Cinco historias, un hilo conductor.

Only for humanoid robots, which will be on the market, I think, in the coming years, quite soon from now, and are already entering the market, is Tesla.

Figure AI, Boston Dynamics together with Hyundai, Aptronic, Agility Robotics, and 1X Technologies.

This is from the United States with partnership.

Now, here comes the list from China.

Thank you for having me.

So first, what was your reaction to seeing Neo at 1X Technologies here in the Bay Area?

You know, I had heard so much hype about this thing, and I just, I didn't believe it because they'd sort of gone dark for a while at 1X after pushing it in late December of last year.

And then I saw it and I was in its presence and I was just stunned.

I wanna talk about another story that you scooped yesterday.

So you and our colleagues, Rocket and Amir, uh, wrote that SoftBank is looking to take a majority stake in a humanoid robot company, 1X.

Tell us about what we know about this, uh, this chatter.

So, um, SoftBank is going to...

It's talking about buying a majority stake in 1X, which is a humanoid robot makers.

Um, what is interesting is that, um, 1X, um, previously had talks with kind of like, you know, OpenAI last year about, like, a possible takeover, but, like, you know, that deal didn't pan out.

So, like, you know, this is interesting in a way that, like, you know, SoftBank's ma- major shareholder is just kind of like discussing a majority stakes in this company that OpenAI has backed and had M&A talks in.

Um, but broadly sleep- speaking, you know, just fits into, like, you know, SoftBank's CEO Masa's grand ambitions in, like, you know, physical AI is gonna be the next frontier, like the future of SoftBank.