Figure demonstrated true autonomy: CEO denies allegations of robot teleoperation

Figure demonstrated real autonomy: CEO refutes accusations of robot remote operation

Figure conducted a massive livestream in which their humanoid robot sorted packages in real time. The video collected millions of views on YouTube and X, but encountered a wave of skepticism: critics suggested that behind the scenes was an operator with a remote control.

Millions Watched the Livestream Simultaneously

The event was huge for the AI community. The humanoid Figure demonstrated in the video a simple but impressive task: picking up packages from a table, analyzing their sizes, sorting them by category, and placing them in different containers. All of this happened in real time. Millions of people watched the video simultaneously on YouTube and X. For Figure, which is fighting for recognition in the industry, this was a huge win — direct proof that their robot can perform complex logistics.

Why a Wave of Skepticism Arose

But immediately on social media, Reddit, and technical forums, a heated discussion broke out. Skeptics claimed that the video could be a deep fake or that the humanoid was controlled by an operator over the internet — so-called remote operation. The question was fair: the industry is full of examples where startups and large companies pass off controlled robots as autonomous. Tesla, Boston Dynamics, and other companies have repeatedly been caught using hidden control.

"We showed the real capabilities of our robot, no remote operation, no fraud," claims

Figure CEO Brett Addock.

How the CEO Responded to Criticism

Brett Addock gave a clear answer to the accusations in an interview with Bloomberg Tech. His main arguments:

• Complete autonomy — the robot uses real-time vision and advanced AI to make decisions about moving objects
• Live broadcast without dangerous latency — the livestream had no noticeable lag that would indicate remote control
• GPT and Computer Vision-based architecture — the robot sees objects on the table, understands their shape and size, then makes the decision independently
• Honesty as a strategy — hiding the truth would be catastrophic for Figure's reputation

Addock emphasized an important point: for people to trust the technology, it needs to be shown as it really is. Spoiler: if there had been remote operation, millions of viewers would have noticed it — engineers in the chat would have quickly spotted latency artifacts.

What This Means for the Market

Figure is trying to turn the narrative around in the humanoid robot industry. After noisy failures and exaggerated promises from other companies, any demonstration of real, honest autonomy is a huge boost to the trust account. If Figure has really solved the remote operation problem and shown a working AI robot, this could be a turning point for the entire market. Investors and partners will finally be able to distinguish real progress from marketing.