--- title: "EXCLUSIVE: Tesla Isn't Leading Humanoid Robotics—Figure AI Is, RoboStrategy CEO Says" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/296921023.md" description: "RoboStrategy CEO Andrew Kang claims Figure AI leads U.S. humanoid robotics over Tesla, citing Figure's commercial production milestone of over 1,000 robots versus Tesla's ongoing Optimus manufacturing setup." datetime: "2026-08-25T13:09:10.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/296921023.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296921023.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/296921023.md) generator: "portal-rs" --- # EXCLUSIVE: Tesla Isn't Leading Humanoid Robotics—Figure AI Is, RoboStrategy CEO Says While **Tesla Inc**‘s (NASDAQ:TSLA) **Optimus** has become the face of humanoid robotics, it may not be leading the industry—at least not yet. In an exclusive email interview with Benzinga, **RoboStrategy, Inc.** (NASDAQ:BOT) CEO **Andrew Kang** said privately held **Figure AI** has established an early lead in commercial deployment. He argued that the company’s production progress puts it ahead of Tesla’s Optimus program today. ## **Figure AI Has Moved Further Into Commercial Deployment** Kang challenged the assumption that Tesla has already become the company everyone else is chasing in humanoid robotics. Instead, he pointed to where each company stands in manufacturing. “As of the July 22 Q2 shareholder update, Optimus lines are still being installed and the hardware design meant for mass production still being finalized.” By comparison, Kang said, “Figure AI is the only US company that has crossed the 1,000 robot mark.” The contrast highlights two companies at different stages of commercialization. While Tesla continues preparing Optimus for large-scale manufacturing, Figure AI has already reached a production milestone that, according to Kang, no other U.S. humanoid robotics company has achieved. **Read Also: Figure AI's 100K Robot Plan Backed by Nvidia, OpenAI** ## Why the 1,000-Robot Milestone Matters For investors, Kang’s comments suggest the humanoid robotics race is no longer defined solely by ambitious product demonstrations. Crossing the 1,000-robot threshold does not guarantee long-term leadership. But it signals that Figure AI has progressed beyond limited prototypes into larger-scale manufacturing. That experience could prove valuable as humanoid robotics moves from research and pilot deployments toward broader commercial adoption. Meanwhile, Tesla remains focused on preparing Optimus for mass production. As Kang noted, the production lines are still being installed while the production-ready hardware design is being finalized. This indicates that the company is still building the manufacturing foundation for its robotics ambitions. ## Investment Takeaway Kang’s assessment underscores an important distinction for investors: current leadership and long-term leadership are not necessarily the same. Based on production milestones, Figure AI appears to have established an early lead in commercial deployment, while Tesla is still laying the groundwork for large-scale manufacturing. As the humanoid robotics industry matures, investors will be watching whether early execution or future production scale ultimately proves to be the bigger competitive advantage. **Read Also: EXCLUSIVE: The Biggest Robotics Problem Isn't AI. It's ROI** *Image* *Courtesy RoboStrategy Inc* ### Related Stocks - [TSLA.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLA.US.md) - [TSL.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSL.US.md) - [TSLR.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLR.US.md) - [TSLQ.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLQ.US.md) - [TSLS.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLS.US.md) - [TSLT.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLT.US.md) - [TSLG.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLG.US.md) - [TSDD.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSDD.US.md) - [TSLL.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLL.US.md) - [TSLZ.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLZ.US.md) - [TESL.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TESL.US.md) - [TSLI.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLI.US.md) - [TSLO.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLO.US.md) - [TSLW.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLW.US.md) - [TSLY.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLY.US.md) - [TSYY.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSYY.US.md) - [TYYY.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TYYY.US.md) - [CRSH.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/CRSH.US.md) - [TSLP.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLP.US.md) - [MAGX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/MAGX.US.md) - [07766.HK](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/07766.HK.md) - [09366.HK](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/09366.HK.md) - [BOT.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BOT.US.md) - [NVDA.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NVDA.US.md) - [OpenAI.NA](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/OpenAI.NA.md) - [NVD.DE](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NVD.DE.md) ## Related News & Research - [Tesla Robotaxi fleet gets a brain upgrade ahead of Cybercab launch event](https://longbridge.com/en/news/297128410.md) - [Tesla Raises The Price Of Its Cybertruck](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296927105.md) - [Tesla Gets Robotaxi Permit in Nevada … for 10 Vehicles](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296964926.md) - [Tesla's Biggest Robotaxi Test Arrives Sept. 3](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296817301.md) - [Xpeng lands US$900m in funding for humanoid AI push despite wider quarterly loss](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296796932.md) --- > **Disclaimer: This article is for reference only and does not constitute any investment advice.**