Robotics AI Labs: Figure, Boston Dynamics, 1X Technologies

Robotics AI Labs: Figure, Boston Dynamics, 1X Technologies

Opening with numbers: In the first quarter of 2026, the median total compensation for senior robotics software engineers at U.S. AI labs hovered around $245,000 (base + stock). Figure, Boston Dynamics, and 1X Technologies all sit within the top quartile, but each lab’s pay mix, hiring velocity, and research focus diverge markedly.

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Why robotics AI labs matter now

Robotics is the only AI sector where hardware constraints still dominate product cycles. According to a IDC forecast released in March 2026, global robotics‑AI spending will grow 14 % YoY, reaching $72 billion by 2028. The talent pipeline is consequently a key competitive lever; firms that attract top engineers can lock in early mover advantage on both perception algorithms and actuation control.

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Figure: The “AI‑first” robot builder

Figure was founded in 2019 to marry large‑scale foundation models with dexterous manipulation. Its flagship product, FigureArm, uses a GPT‑4‑class transformer to generate motion primitives on‑the‑fly.

• Hiring pace: 45% YoY increase in robotics‑engineer hires (2024 → 2025).
• Location: Headquarters in San Francisco; 70% of roles are hybrid.
• Compensation: Base salaries for senior engineers range $180k–$210k, with median stock grant valued at $80k VESTED over four years.

Figure’s research culture emphasizes “model‑first” prototyping: code reviews are conducted via weekly “AI‑Design Sprints,” and engineers are expected to ship at least one paper per year. The lab’s internal publication rate in Robotics: Science and Systems (RSS) rose from 3 in 2023 to 12 in 2025.

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Boston Dynamics: The legacy hardware heavy‑weight

Boston Dynamics (BD) remains the most recognizable name in legged robotics, but its AI labs have been reshaped under Hyundai Motor Group’s ownership since 2021. The company’s AI Research Unit (AIRU) focuses on locomotion control, reinforcement learning for high‑dimensional actuation, and safety‑critical perception.

• Hiring pace: 15% increase YoY (2024 → 2025); growth is modest due to heavy reliance on seasoned hardware engineers.
• Location: Primary campus in Waltham, MA; limited remote policy for core perception teams.
• Compensation: Senior engineers see base $170k–$195k, but stock components are lower than Figure’s, reflecting BD’s mature product line.

BD’s culture leans heavily on on‑site labs. Engineers spend on average 3 days/week in the physical test arena, with a “sandbox” policy that grants free access to the Spot and Atlas fleets for internal experiments. Publication output is lower (7 RSS papers in 2025) but the impact factor is higher, given the industry relevance of the work.

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1X Technologies: The “AI‑hardware integration” startup

1X Technologies entered the market in early 2022, promising end‑to‑end AI pipelines that embed inference on custom ASICs for collaborative robots. Its flagship offering, 1X‑Core, runs a 2 TB transformer directly on edge, cutting latency to 12 ms for pick‑and‑place tasks.

• Hiring pace: 70% YoY increase (2024 → 2025), the sharpest among the three labs.
• Location: Austin, TX hub with a fully remote engineering track.
• Compensation: Base salaries are competitive ($175k–$205k), and the startup’s equity pool is larger, resulting in a higher median total comp for senior roles.

1X’s culture is deliberately “start‑up‑fast”: two‑week sprint cycles, a mandatory “demo day” every month, and a low‑barrier internal hackathon policy. The lab publishes heavily in IEEE Transactions on Robotics (10 papers in 2025) and has filed 8 patents on ASIC‑accelerated perception.

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Comparative snapshot

The three labs occupy distinct niches within the robotics AI ecosystem. Figure pushes the boundary of large‑scale language‑model integration, Boston Dynamics leans on mature hardware expertise, and 1X bets on hardware‑AI co‑design. Their compensation packages reflect these strategic differences: higher equity for Figure and 1X, higher cash for BD’s established product line.

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Market dynamics driving salary variance

A Compensation Insights survey of 3,200 robotics engineers (published April 2026) identifies three primary levers for total pay:

1. Product maturity – Firms with revenue‑generating robots (e.g., BD) offer higher cash ratios to offset less aggressive equity grants.
2. Model scale – Labs that embed foundation models (Figure) compensate with larger RSU pools, betting on future valuation upside.
3. Talent scarcity – Start‑ups like 1X raise equity to attract engineers who can bridge AI and ASIC design, a skill set with <5% supply in the US labor market.

These levers explain why Figure and 1X’s senior total compensations exceed BD’s despite a lower cash component. The data also shows that engineers who switch from hardware‑centric firms to “model‑first” labs typically see a 20 % increase in equity value after two years.

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Hiring pipelines and talent sources

• University ties – All three labs recruit heavily from the Carnegie Mellon, MIT, and Stanford robotics programs. Figure’s 2025 campus hiring event at CMU resulted in 12 offers, a 4× increase over 2023.
• Industry cross‑pollination – 1X has siphoned talent from NVIDIA’s Jetson division, while BD hires former aerospace engineers with control‑systems background.
• Intern conversions – Figure reports a 68% conversion rate from its 2025 summer intern cohort, the highest among the three labs. BD’s conversion sits at 45%, reflecting its higher on‑site requirements.

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Culture beyond the paycheck

While compensation is a headline metric, culture influences retention. A recent Glassdoor sentiment analysis (June 2026) scored the three labs as follows:

Figure’s hybrid model encourages “deep work” days, while still permitting three remote days per week. BD’s low remote score aligns with its heavy hardware labs, where face‑to‑face debugging remains essential. 1X’s remote‑first stance is validated by its higher work‑life balance rating, though some engineers cite “communication latency” as a trade‑off.

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Diversity and inclusion metrics

Robotics AI has historically lagged gender diversity. The 2026 AI Lab D&I report shows incremental progress:

• Women: Figure – 28%; Boston Dynamics – 22%; 1X – 26% (across all engineering roles).
• Underrepresented minorities (URM): Figure – 15%; BD – 12%; 1X – 14%.

All three labs have launched mentorship programs in 2024, but retention gaps persist: URM senior engineers leave at a 3‑year attrition rate of 19% (versus 11% for the overall senior cohort). The data suggests that despite higher salaries, cultural factors remain critical for long‑term inclusion.

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Outlook: 2026‑2028

The convergence of large‑scale models and on‑edge hardware is set to reshape robot autonomy. For Figure, the next milestone is Figure‑Vision, a multimodal model that merges LiDAR, tactile, and language data. Boston Dynamics plans to commercialize Atlas‑AI, an autonomous outdoor platform that will rely on reinforcement learning pipelines still in research mode. 1X’s roadmap includes a next‑gen ASIC that can run 5 B parameter models with sub‑10 ms latency.

From a talent perspective, we anticipate:

• Continued salary inflation – Median senior total compensation is projected to reach $300k across the board by 2028, driven by competition for “AI‑hardware integration” expertise.
• Hybrid work becoming the norm – Even hardware‑heavy labs like BD are piloting remote‑first policies for perception teams, citing the need to attract talent from broader geographies.
• Increased emphasis on open‑source contributions – Companies that allow engineers to publish open‑source robot stacks (e.g., ROS 2) see higher attraction rates, especially among early‑career engineers.

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A quick reference for prospective candidates

If you’re navigating the robotics AI job market, consider both the compensation mix and the research alignment that matches your skill set. For deeper insights into interview preparation for high‑impact MLE roles, the 0→1 MLE Interview Playbook (Amazon) provides a solid framework that many candidates at these labs have found useful.

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FAQ

Q1: How do equity grants at Figure compare to those at larger, public AI labs like OpenAI?
A: Figure’s RSU grants for senior engineers (≈ $80k VESTED) are roughly 60 % of what senior staff receive at OpenAI, but the relative upside is higher because Figure is still privately held and projects a 5‑year valuation growth of 3‑to‑1.

Q2: Is remote work feasible for engineers working on low‑level motor control at Boston Dynamics?
A: Currently, BD restricts remote work to perception and high‑level planning teams. Low‑level control engineers must be on‑site at least four days a week to access test rigs, though a pilot remote‑first program is slated for Q4 2026.

Q3: What is the typical career trajectory for a robotics engineer at 1X Technologies?
A: Engineers often start as L4 software engineers, move to L5 within 24 months, and can advance to L6 director roles after 4–5 years, especially if they contribute to ASIC design patents. The flat structure and equity upside accelerate promotions compared with more hierarchical labs.

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Recommended Reading: For a comprehensive preparation framework, see the 0→1 AI Engineer Playbook — the most structured approach to interview preparation we have reviewed.

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