Tesla Loses Some AI Employees to New Startup Sunday Robotics

After Sunday Robotics emerged from stealth mode final week, it revealed a staff stocked with Tesla alums.

At the very least 10 former Tesla workers work on the robotics startup, together with a number of longtime workers who had been concerned in Tesla’s humanoid robotic and self-driving efforts, in response to a LinkedIn evaluation.

Perry Jia, who labored on Tesla’s Autopilot and Optimus packages for almost six years, introduced final week that he’d left the electric-car maker through the summer time to work on the startup.

Nadeesha Amarasinghe additionally joined Sunday Robotics through the summer time, his LinkedIn profile reveals. He’d beforehand labored at Tesla for greater than seven years, serving as an engineering lead for AI infrastructure, the place he assisted with each Optimus and Autopilot.

Tesla’s Autopilot and Optimus packages are among the many firm’s most high-profile efforts. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has stated the carmaker’s means to unravel autonomous driving will decide its long-term worth. He has additionally positioned a heavy emphasis on the Optimus humanoid robotic, saying the corporate goals to ultimately ship thousands and thousands of items able to duties starting from manufacturing facility work to non-public care.

Sunday Robotics additionally has an array of former Tesla interns and Autopilot workers who’ve labored at Tesla over the previous 5 years, together with Jason Peterson, a former Optimus and robotaxi expertise worker, in response to his LinkedIn profile.

In complete, the startup employs round 50 individuals, together with engineers and “reminiscence builders” who help in coaching the robotic, in response to Sunday Robotics’ LinkedIn web page.

Tesla and Sunday Robotics didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark.

Cheng Chi and Tony Zhao cofounded Sunday Robotics in 2024. Zhao interned on Tesla’s Autopilot staff in 2022, in response to his LinkedIn profile.

On November 19, Sunday Robotics unveiled its house robotic, Memo. Zhao posted a video on X that confirmed Memo choosing up wine glasses, loading a dishwasher, and folding socks.

Sunday Robotics is certainly one of many robotics startups that’s constructing a house robotic.

Most not too long ago, robotics startup 1X unveiled the consumer-ready model of its Neo house robotic in October. The corporate has stated it plans to start delivery the robotic to clients subsequent 12 months.

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