{"id":84346,"date":"2026-02-10T20:58:38","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T23:58:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ces.einnews.com\/article\/891197398"},"modified":"2026-02-10T20:58:38","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T23:58:38","slug":"boston-dynamics-ceo-to-step-down-after-more-than-30-years-with-the-company-read-the-staff-memo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/2026\/02\/10\/boston-dynamics-ceo-to-step-down-after-more-than-30-years-with-the-company-read-the-staff-memo\/","title":{"rendered":"Boston Dynamics CEO to step down after more than 30 years with the company. Read the staff memo."},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"post-page-grid\">\n<section id=\"post-body\" class=\"post-body grid-area-post-body\" data-component-type=\"post-body\" data-load-strategy=\"exclude\" data-lock-content>\n<div class=\"post-hero\" data-component-type=\"post-hero\" data-load-strategy=\"exclude\">\n<figure class=\"figure image-figure-image as-notched\" data-type=\"img\" data-e2e-name=\"image-figure-image\" data-media-container=\"image\">\n<div class=\"aspect-ratio\" style=\"padding-top: calc(100% \/ (4032 \/ 2016))\">  <img data-opt-id=758893364  fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/i.insider.com\/698bbc5dd3c7faef0ece094b?width=700&ssl=1&w=75&resize=75&ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/i.insider.com\/698bbc5dd3c7faef0ece094b?width=700&ssl=1&w=100&resize=100&ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/i.insider.com\/698bbc5dd3c7faef0ece094b?width=700&ssl=1&w=150&resize=150&ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/i.insider.com\/698bbc5dd3c7faef0ece094b?width=700&ssl=1&w=240&resize=240&ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/i.insider.com\/698bbc5dd3c7faef0ece094b?width=700&ssl=1&w=320&resize=320&ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/i.insider.com\/698bbc5dd3c7faef0ece094b?width=700&ssl=1&w=500&resize=500&ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/i.insider.com\/698bbc5dd3c7faef0ece094b?width=700&ssl=1&w=640&resize=640&ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/i.insider.com\/698bbc5dd3c7faef0ece094b?width=700&ssl=1&w=800&resize=800&ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/i.insider.com\/698bbc5dd3c7faef0ece094b?width=700&ssl=1&w=1024&resize=1024&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/i.insider.com\/698bbc5dd3c7faef0ece094b?width=700&ssl=1&w=1280&resize=1280&ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/i.insider.com\/698bbc5dd3c7faef0ece094b?width=700&ssl=1&w=1600&resize=1600&ssl=1 1600w\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/i.insider.com\/698bbc5dd3c7faef0ece094b?width=700&ssl=1\" alt=\"Robert Playter\"> <\/div>\n<p> <span class=\"image-source-caption with-caption-drawer\"> <span class=\"image-source-caption-drawer\"><figcaption class=\"image-caption label-md-strong\" data-e2e-name=\"image-caption\"> <span class=\"image-caption-text\">Boston Dynamics CEO Robert Playter is stepping down from his chief executive role after more than 30 years with the robotics company.<\/span> <span class=\"image-source-text\"> <span class=\"image-source label-md g-test\" data-e2e-name=\"image-source\">Sophia Tung<\/span> <\/span> <\/figcaption><\/span> <\/span><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"underline\">\n<div class=\"timestamp label-md\" data-component-type=\"timestamp\" data-load-strategy=\"exclude\"> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-summary-bullets\" data-component-type=\"post-summary-bullets\" data-load-strategy=\"exclude\" data-track-marfeel=\"post-summary-bullets\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"body-md\">Robert Playter told staff in a memo on Tuesday that he would step down as CEO on February 27.<\/li>\n<li class=\"body-md\">Playter first joined Boston Dynamics, a robotics startup, in 1994.<\/li>\n<li class=\"body-md\">He&#8217;s leaving shortly after the company&#8217;s unveiling of the Atlas humanoid robot.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<section class=\"post-body-content post-story-body-content\" data-component-type=\"post-body-content\" data-load-strategy=\"exclude\" data-track-content data-post-type=\"story\" data-track-marfeel=\"post-body-content\">\n<p><a target=\"_self\" class href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/boston-dynamics-ceo-humanoid-robot-factory-workers-hyundai-atlas-2026-1\" data-track-click=\"{&quot;element_name&quot;:&quot;body_link&quot;,&quot;event&quot;:&quot;tout_click&quot;,&quot;index&quot;:&quot;bi_value_unassigned&quot;,&quot;product_field&quot;:&quot;bi_value_unassigned&quot;}\" rel>Boston Dynamics&#8217; Robert Playter<\/a> is stepping down as CEO after six years in the role and more than 30 years with the company, according to a staff memo he sent to employees on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>Playter&#8217;s last day will be February 27, the memo said. Amanda McMaster, Boston Dynamics&#8217; chief financial officer, will serve as interim CEO, while the company board searches for its next chief executive, Playter wrote.<\/p>\n<p>In a statement to Business Insider, Boston Dynamics said Playter had guided the company from its early days of &#8220;hopping robots&#8221; to <a target=\"_self\" class href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/boston-dynamics-spot-youtube-videos-future-robots-marc-raibert-2020-5\" data-track-click=\"{&quot;element_name&quot;:&quot;body_link&quot;,&quot;event&quot;:&quot;tout_click&quot;,&quot;index&quot;:&quot;bi_value_unassigned&quot;,&quot;product_field&quot;:&quot;bi_value_unassigned&quot;}\" rel>Spot, the quadruped robot<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;He transformed Boston Dynamics from a small research and development lab into a successful business that now proudly calls itself the global leader in mobile robotics,&#8221; the company said in the statement. &#8220;He will be sorely missed, but we hope he enjoys some well-deserved time off. Thanks, Rob.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>A spokesperson for Boston Dynamics said Playter will not play any advisory role and will be spending time off with his friends and family.<\/p>\n<div class=\"dynamic-module\" data-component-type=\"dynamic-module\" data-load-strategy=\"lazy\" data-root-margin=\"200% 0px\">\n<div class=\"dynamic-module-components\" data-component-name=\"newsletter-dynamic\" data-component-segment=\"anonymous-other\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-dynamic\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-hidden=\"false\" data-track-view=\"{&quot;element_name&quot;:&quot;inline_newsletter&quot;,&quot;product_field&quot;:&quot;bi_value_unassigned&quot;,&quot;subscription_experience&quot;:&quot;bi_value_unassigned&quot;}\" data-component-type=\"newsletter-dynamic\" data-load-strategy=\"exclude\" data-element-name=\"inline_newsletter\" data-source=\"techinlinesignup\" data-skeleton-name=\"generic-tout\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Playter&#8217;s retirement comes on the heels of Boston Dynamics&#8217; unveiling of <a target=\"_self\" class href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/huamnoid-robots-manufacturing-deployment-timeline-robert-playter-ceo-interview-2026-1\" data-track-click=\"{&quot;element_name&quot;:&quot;body_link&quot;,&quot;event&quot;:&quot;tout_click&quot;,&quot;index&quot;:&quot;bi_value_unassigned&quot;,&quot;product_field&quot;:&quot;bi_value_unassigned&quot;}\" rel>Atlas, a six-foot-tall humanoid robot<\/a>, and in the midst of a global <a target=\"_self\" class href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/humanoid-robot-race-companies-winning-cashing-in-morgan-stanley-2025-12\" data-track-click=\"{&quot;element_name&quot;:&quot;body_link&quot;,&quot;event&quot;:&quot;tout_click&quot;,&quot;index&quot;:&quot;bi_value_unassigned&quot;,&quot;product_field&quot;:&quot;bi_value_unassigned&quot;}\" rel>humanoid robot race<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Atlas has been advertised as the factory worker of the future. Hyundai, which owns a majority stake in Boston Dynamics, said it expected the robot to hit the factory floor by 2028, starting with simpler tasks.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve been doing this for a long time. But for us to be approaching a point where we&#8217;re really thinking about commercializing the humanoid, I don&#8217;t know that we expected that years ago,&#8221; Playter told Business Insider at the <a target=\"_self\" class href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/first-time-ces-experience-robotaxis-humanoid-robots-ai-2026-1\" data-track-click=\"{&quot;element_name&quot;:&quot;body_link&quot;,&quot;event&quot;:&quot;tout_click&quot;,&quot;index&quot;:&quot;bi_value_unassigned&quot;,&quot;product_field&quot;:&quot;bi_value_unassigned&quot;}\" rel>Consumer Electronics Show<\/a> in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n<p>Playter first joined Boston Dynamics in 1994, shortly after pursuing a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.<\/p>\n<p>During his tenure, Playter saw the robotics startup change multiple hands. The company was first acquired by Google, then SoftBank, and most recently by <a target=\"_self\" class href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/hyundai-ice-raid-us-south-korea-auto-manufacturing-investment-2025-9\" data-track-click=\"{&quot;element_name&quot;:&quot;body_link&quot;,&quot;event&quot;:&quot;tout_click&quot;,&quot;index&quot;:&quot;bi_value_unassigned&quot;,&quot;product_field&quot;:&quot;bi_value_unassigned&quot;}\" rel>Hyundai Motor Group<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Playter told Business Insider he was overseeing a team of nearly 1,100 people.<\/p>\n<p>Read the memo Playter sent to staff on Tuesday:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"blockquote\">\n<section class=\"blockquote-wrapper\">Team,<\/section>\n<section class=\"blockquote-wrapper\">For more than 30 years, I have dedicated my life to building the world&#8217;s best robots alongside the world&#8217;s best team, and I could not be prouder of the company we have built together.<\/section>\n<section class=\"blockquote-wrapper\">Today I&#8217;m making the incredibly difficult decision to step down as CEO of Boston Dynamics. Amanda McMaster<strong> <\/strong>will serve as interim CEO, and our Board of Directors will be leading a search to find the company&#8217;s next leader. We will host an all-employee meeting later this week to celebrate our success and make the transition official. My last day with the company will be Feb. 27.<\/section>\n<section class=\"blockquote-wrapper\">I accepted the position of CEO in the fall of 2019 as the company stood at an inflection point. Our challenge was clear: transition from an innovation lab to a sustainable, scalable business while retaining the exceptional talent and culture that made our breakthroughs possible. I&#8217;m proud to say that we have navigated these changes well, culminating in the remarkable year we just experienced. We&#8217;ve achieved meaningful commercial milestones with Spot and Stretch, re-established Atlas&#8217; leadership in a rapidly emerging industry and deepened our strategic partnership with Hyundai and Google DeepMind. Our success hinges on the same principle that guided this transition: we are building for the long term. The robotics market is at an early stage, and companies that combine technical excellence, commercial discipline, and patient capital are best positioned to capture what comes next. Boston Dynamics has all three.<\/section>\n<section class=\"blockquote-wrapper\">The company is in a strong position, poised for the next stage of growth. A new CEO will bring the experience and energy required for this next phase. Our existing leadership team is strong, capable, and united. They know what this business needs to achieve as we prepare to produce robots at mass scale, and I have full confidence that Amanda and the team will guide Boston Dynamics through this transition phase without missing a beat.<\/section>\n<section class=\"blockquote-wrapper\">Boston Dynamics has been the ride of a lifetime. What this place has become has exceeded anything I could have ever imagined all those years ago in our funky lab in the basement of the MIT Media Lab. We have created something truly special here, showing that greatness comes from talent, commitment and teamwork rather than superstar status. Many of you have heard me say that whether in sports or in business, all of my most rewarding experiences have come as a teammate. Leading this team has been the honor of my life.<\/section>\n<section class=\"blockquote-wrapper\">Thank you,<\/section>\n<section class=\"blockquote-wrapper\">Rob<\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/section>\n<\/section>\n<p> <!-- Included desktop \"post-aside\" --> <\/p>\n<section class=\"post-aside grid-area-post-aside\" data-component-type=\"post-aside\" data-load-strategy=\"exclude\">\n<aside class=\"rail with-default-image has-video-ad \" id=\"l-rightrail\" data-component-type=\"rail\">\n<section data-rail data-track-page-area=\"RR\" class>\n<div class=\"rail-container container-0\"> <\/div>\n<div class=\"rail-container video-ad-container\">\n<div class=\"post-recommended-video\" data-component-type=\"post-recommended-video\" data-load-strategy=\"exclude\">\n<h3 class=\"header display-xs\">Recommended video<\/h3>\n<div id=\"jw-strategy-player\" class=\"ad psuedo-ad\" data-bi-ad>\n<div id=\"player-container-XqOVG7Ek\" data-component-type=\"jw-strategy-video\" data-placement=\"XqOVG7Ek\" class=\"jw-strategy-video\" data-rid=\"147828280\" data-id=\"44G7JtKu\" data-name=\"undefined\" data-title data-timestamp=\"undefined\" data-autoplay=\"true\" data-mute=\"true\" data-pub-id=\"5046\" data-slot-id=\"video-preroll-1\" data-player-url=\"https:\/\/cdn.jwplayer.com\/libraries\/P0a1LFN5.js\" data-region=\"pre-roll-rail\" data-ad-unit-path=\"4442842\/businessinsider.desktop\/post\/pre-roll-rail\/tech\" data-pre-roll=\"true\" data-is-override=\"true\" data-thumbnail=\"[object Object]\" data-placementid=\"XqOVG7Ek\" data-reactions=\"undefined\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"rail-container\"> <\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/aside>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"post-bottom grid-area-post-bottom\" data-component-type=\"post-bottom\" data-load-strategy=\"exclude\" data-track-marfeel=\"post-bottom\">\n<section class=\"post-bottom-ad-container\"> <\/section>\n<section class=\"post-bottom-taboola\" data-track-page-area=\"Post Bottom\"> <!-- Included desktop \"taboola\" -->  <\/p>\n<section class=\"taboola-container targeted-recommended only-desktop taboola-below-main-column\" id=\"taboola-below-main-column\" data-e2e-name=\"taboola-below-main-column\" data-track-event-label=\"rec-taboola-taboola-below-main-column\"> <\/section>\n<p>  <!-- Excluded mobile \"taboola\" --><\/section>\n<\/section>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"pw-modal-entry\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"pw-modal-backdrop\"><\/div>\n<div data-component-type=\"paywall\" data-load-strategy=\"exclude\" data-content-selector=\"[data-content-container]\"> <\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12\"> <\/div>\n<p>  .component.back-to-home.style-loading { display: none; }  <\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/blockads.fivefilters.org\"> <\/a><\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/blockads.fivefilters.org\/acceptable.html\"> <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8230; told Business Insider at the <span class=\"match\">Consumer Electronics Show<\/span> in Las Vegas. Playter first &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-84346","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84346","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84346"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84346\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84346"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84346"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84346"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}