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Tesla's Former Optimus AI Lead Launches Startup Betting on Specialized Robots Over Humanoids

  • Robotics
  • AI Agents

Ashish Kumar, who led artificial intelligence development for Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot, has co-founded Intelligent Machines, a startup pursuing a fundamentally different approach to robotics by building task-specific machines rather than general-purpose humanoids. Kumar departed Tesla in September 2025 after roughly a year leading the Optimus AI team and announced Intelligent Machines in October 2026, positioning the company as a counterpoint to the industry's dominant humanoid strategy.

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