Figure AI's Early Investor Predicts Human-Level Robots in 3 Years | Andrew Kang, RoboStrategy
In a Nutshell
Figure AI's early investor predicts human-level humanoid robots in 2-3 years, with the market reaching tens of trillions by converting physical labor into an accessible product at ~$2/hour. Vertically integrated companies like Figure, Tesla Optimus, and Apptronik lead because they control manufacturing for data collection, enabling faster AI development through embodiment-specific training. Model commoditization will occur in 3-5 years, shifting value to deployment execution, hardware production, and component innovation rather than intelligence itself.
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The Figure AI live stream demonstrated real-world capability rather than curated footage. The stream ran continuously for 8 to 10 hours and extended across 8 days total. The human intern ultimately won the challenge by a narrow margin, though the task proved physically exhausting, resulting in blistered hands and fatigue that made repetition unlikely.
Humanoid robot intelligence is projected to reach capability levels sufficient for most daily tasks within two to three years. This development represents a distinct technological revolution because it converts physical labor into a product accessible to nearly anyone.
Andrew Kang serves as CEO of Robo Strategy, a publicly listed venture fund on NASDAQ focused exclusively on robotics and physical AI. The fund maintains investments across multiple robotics companies including Figure AI, Apptronik, Sanctuary Robotics, Center Bots (industrial arms and cobots), and Path Robotics (welding automation).
The Figure AI investment was non-consensus at the time. Other venture investors familiar with frontier technology expressed skepticism about humanoid robotics feasibility and perceived significant risks. Previous humanoid companies had not produced venture-scale outcomes. The decision to pivot the entire fund toward robotics was based on recognizing accelerating technological change and different development pace compared to prior periods.
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