It’s probably safe to start calling Boston Dynamics a South Korean robotics firm going forward.
Hyundai Motor Group is reportedly seeking full ownership of the Massachusetts robotics leader, which was spun out of MIT’s Leg Laboratory by Marc Raibert back in 1992.
According to Reuters, Seoul-based Hyundai is moving to acquire a 10 percent stake in the company from Japanese tech giant SoftBank, BD’s previous owner, for $325 million. Hyundai acquired an 80 percent controlling stake in BD back in 2020 and has since upped its stake to 90 percent.
The news comes after a major leadership change at the robotics firm. Semafor reported that Hyundai wanted BD to move faster to commercialize its world-famous Atlas humanoid after 13 years of R&D. CEO Robert Playter stepped down in February 2026 after more than 30 years at the company; CFO Amanda McMaster is serving as interim CEO while the board seeks a permanent replacement.
Hyundai reportedly wants tens of thousands of Atlas humanoid robots manufactured ASAP. BD says it’s already shipping small Atlas fleets to its parent and its partner Google DeepMind for testing, training and validation.
The company is under intense pressure as it struggles to compete with Chinese firms like Unitree Robotics. As BD commercialized Spot in 2019, the Chinese company Unitree Robotics was aggressively moving toward mass production. Launched in 2016 by hardware engineer Wang Xingxing (who has called Raibert his idol), Unitree has shipped well over 30,000 quadruped robots. The Hangznou-based firm, which is heading toward an IPO on Shanghai’s tech-heavy STAR Market, reported delivering more than 18,000 robodogs and 5,500 humanoids in 2025 alone.
Limited factory work at Hyundai facilities is expected to begin in 2028 with relatively simple tasks like parts sequencing. More complex assembly work would start around 2030. The plans are already causing friction Hyundai’s South Korean labor union, which insists management must reach a formal labor agreement before introducing robots into production sites.
Hyundai says it’s working toward a production system capable of 30,000 Atlas robots annually. Media reports often miss the distinction between capacity and output, which has led many to believe Atlas humanoids are already entering the workforce at scale.
Hyundai is a key member of South Korea’s K-Humanoid Alliance, which aims to establish the country as a Top 3 leader in humanoids. The government-led alliance, launched by the Ministry of Trade in April 2025, brings together more than 40 entities, including universities, robotics labs, and fellow industrial giants like LG and Samsjng. They’re developing a foundational AI robot brain for a Korean-developed machines to run on by 2028.