#292 Brett Adcock - Shawn Ryan Meets a Humanoid Robot

56 snips

Mar 30, 2026

Brett Adcock, robotics and AI founder behind Figure and Archer Aviation, dives into humanoid robots, synthetic workers, and why homes are a tougher frontier than factories. He gets into robot safety around kids, BMW deployments, the split from OpenAI, air taxi ambitions, and his hidden-weapons detection startup for schools.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

ANECDOTE

Why Brett Split Figure From OpenAI

Brett Adcock says OpenAI led Figure's Series B and worked with the company on robotics models for about a year.
He ended the relationship after Figure's internal team outpaced them and OpenAI signaled it wanted to do robotics itself.

INSIGHT

Why Figure Avoids Military Robots For Now

Brett Adcock believes humanoids would be valuable for military missions but says Figure is avoiding that market for now.
He argues the technology is too consequential and hard to commercialize safely while also militarizing it.

INSIGHT

Robots Already Replace Each Other On Shift

Figure robots already coordinate handoffs, charging, and self-triage without human supervision during 24-7 shifts.
Brett Adcock says one robot can limp to the hospital after losing a knee motor while another automatically replaces it on the line.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Brett Adcock is a technology entrepreneur focused on building companies in robotics, artificial intelligence, and aerospace. Born and raised on a third-generation farm in central Illinois, he developed an early fascination with technology and building systems from the ground up. After attending the University of Florida, he set out to tackle ambitious, capital-intensive industries with the goal of reshaping transportation, labor, and human-machine collaboration.

At 26, Adcock founded Vettery, an AI-powered talent marketplace that matched thousands of companies with highly qualified candidates. The company scaled rapidly and was acquired in 2018 for $110 million by The Adecco Group, the world’s largest recruiting firm.

In 2018, he founded Archer Aviation to develop electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft aimed at transforming urban air mobility. During his time leading the company, Adcock helped architect, engineer, and flight-test five generations of aircraft, vertically integrating key technologies including flight software, electric motors, actuation systems, and battery systems. Archer secured a $1.5 billion partnership with United Airlines and positioned itself at the forefront of next-generation aviation.

In 2022, Adcock founded Figure, where he serves as Founder & CEO. Figure is building general-purpose humanoid robots designed to address global labor shortages and work alongside humans in manufacturing, logistics, warehousing, retail, and the home. Backed by leading investors including Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital, the company has raised billions in venture capital and is focused on deploying embodied AI systems at scale.

He is also the founder of Cover (2023–present), an AI security company developing non-intrusive scanners in partnership with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The technology is designed to passively detect concealed weapons in crowded environments, with the goal of improving public safety without invasive screening.

Follow the market: https://polymarket.com/event/ai-bubble-burst-by

Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors:

SpotOn GPS Fence — trusted by Shawn Ryan for his dog Stanley.

The most reliable GPS dog fence: 100% secure from backyard to backcountry with virtual boundaries you control from your phone. No wires, no digging. Sets up in minutes, any size, any shape, anywhere.

Learn more: https://spotonfence.com/srs

Get 20% off Rho Nutrition Liposomal NAD+ for clean, sustained energy and sharper focus with code SRS at https://rhonutrition.com/discount/SRS risk-free 60-day money-back guarantee.

If you're serious about selling to the Department of War, go to https://SBIRAdvisors.com and mention Shawn Ryan for your first month free.

Brett Adcock Links:

X - https://x.com/adcock_brett

IG - https://www.instagram.com/brett_adcock

WEB - https://www.brettadcock.com

LI - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettadcock

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices