Tesla Engineers Defect to Sunday Robotics, Potentially Intensifying Home Robot Rivalry
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Tesla has lost at least 10 experienced engineers to Sunday Robotics, a new startup focusing on home robotics. These former Tesla AI specialists, who contributed to Autopilot and Optimus, joined to develop the Memo robot, highlighting intensifying competition in the robotics sector. Sunday Robotics unveiled its wheeled home robot Memo on November 19, 2025, emphasizing efficient object handling over legged designs like Tesla’s Optimus. The startup’s team includes key ex-Tesla engineers from Autopilot and Optimus programs, bringing expertise in AI and machine learning. Sunday trained Memo using 10 million real-world behavioral episodes collected via affordable Skill Capture Gloves, contrasting Tesla’s lab-based VR methods, at a fraction of the cost. Tesla engineers flock to Sunday Robotics amid robotics boom. Discover how this talent shift impacts Optimus and Autopilot. Explore Memo’s innovative design—stay ahead in AI robotics trends today. What is Sunday Robotics and why are Tesla engineers joining it? Sunday Robotics is a burgeoning startup in the home robotics space, founded in 2024 by Stanford PhD graduates Tony Zhao and Cheng Chi, who unveiled their flagship product, the Memo robot, on November 19, 2025. Tesla engineers are increasingly moving to the company due to its innovative approach to AI training and a more agile work environment, attracting talent from Tesla’s core AI teams. This exodus includes specialists with deep experience in self-driving technology and humanoid robotics, signaling a competitive talent war in the industry. How does Sunday Robotics’ training method differ from Tesla’s? Sunday Robotics employs a crowd-sourced data collection strategy using a $200 Skill Capture Glove, enabling hundreds of everyday users—dubbed “Memory Developers”—to record chores in real home settings. This has amassed 10 million behavioral episodes capturing diverse scenarios like cluttered kitchens and variable lighting, according to company statements. In contrast, Tesla relies on controlled lab environments with VR teleoperation…
Filed under: News - @ November 29, 2025 4:17 pm