Apptronik Teases New Robot, Stacks C-Suite With Waymo, Boston Dynamics, Amazon Vets

InnovationConsumer TechApptronik Teases New Robot, Stacks C-Suite With Waymo, Boston Dynamics, Amazon VetsByJohn Koetsier,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Journalist, analyst, author, podcaster.Follow AuthorApr 28, 2026, 09:00am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Apptronik CEO Jeff Cardenas is stacking the company with humanoid robotics veterans from key companies.Austin American-Statesman via Getty ImagesApptronik, the Austin-based humanoid robot company that closed a $935 million Series A at a roughly $5.3 billion valuation in February, just stacked its executive ranks with tech company veterans from Waymo, Boston Dynamics, Amazon, iRobot and Paramount+. It also teased a new humanoid robot.The new hires are:Daniel Chu — Chief Product Officer — Waymo (most recently 23andMe)Kevin Garell — SVP of Services & Support — Boston DynamicsChirag Shah — VP of Software — AmazonDave Perry — VP of Marketing — Paramount+ (also Amazon)Justin Birtz — VP of People Operations — Cellino (also iRobot)I rarely if ever do stories about executive hires. They’re usually boring inside baseball. But a hiring flurry at this level signifies something that a recent Bessemer report highlighted: talent is limited, and the winners in humanoid robots are going to increasingly attract the best talent, draining it away from those who will come – at best – in second place.When I interviewed CEO Jeff Cardenas a year ago he laid out a three-phase roadmap: industrial and logistics through 2026, then retail/healthcare/hospitality, then eventually eldercare and the home as the long-term "North Star."He was also pretty clear about what scaling actually requires."You don't just build the robot," Cardenas told me. "You build the machine that builds the machine."Today’s hires are, in essence, that first machine : the operational,...