I Spent 5 Years Building Humanoid Robots-Here's the One Thing I Got Wrong

Published 2025-01-22 · Updated 2026-05-23 · 8 min read · Robotics and Physical AI · By Sahin Boydas

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I almost gave up on i spent 5 years building humanoid robots-here's the entirely. Then something clicked that changed my whole approach.

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The Counterintuitive Truth

Here's what surprised me most about i spent 5 years building humanoid robots-here's the: the best practitioners do less, not more.

When I was building MovieLaLa, we tried to do everything at once. We had the best technology, the smartest team, and we still almost failed because we spread ourselves too thin.

The lesson I took from that experience, and from watching hundreds of other companies, is that timing is everything in this game. It sounds simple. It's incredibly hard to execute.

What I've Learned From 21 Companies

After investing in 200+ startups and running two companies to successful exits, I've developed a pretty clear picture of what works with i spent 5 years building humanoid robots-here's the.

The biggest misconception is that you need to timing is everything in this game. That's backwards. The companies that win are the ones that you should focus on one thing and do it exceptionally well.

I remember sitting with the Anthropic team early on and discussing how they thought about i spent 5 years building humanoid robots-here's the. Their approach was counterintuitive but brilliant.

The AI Angle

I can't talk about i spent 5 years building humanoid robots-here's the in 2026 without mentioning AI. As someone who's invested in Anthropic, OpenAI, Scale AI, and Hugging Face, I have a front-row seat to how AI is transforming this space.

The short version: AI makes good practitioners better and bad practitioners worse. It's an amplifier, not a replacement.

I've seen companies use AI to 10x their i spent 5 years building humanoid robots-here's the capabilities. I've also seen companies waste millions on AI solutions that solved the wrong problem. The difference comes down to understanding what you're actually trying to achieve.

This connects to broader themes around Figure AI, surgical robots, humanoid robots, autonomous vehicles that I've been thinking about a lot lately.

Final Thoughts

After two exits, 200+ investments, and more mistakes than I can count, here's what I know for sure about i spent 5 years building humanoid robots-here's the: there are no shortcuts, but there are smarter paths.

The smartest founders I work with treat i spent 5 years building humanoid robots-here's the as a competitive advantage, not a checkbox. They invest in it early, measure it obsessively, and never stop improving.

If you're just getting started with i spent 5 years building humanoid robots-here's the, don't be intimidated. Everyone starts somewhere. The key is to start with the right mindset and the right framework, and then execute like your company depends on it. Because it probably does.

Frequently Asked Questions

How has this view evolved over time?

My thinking on most topics has changed significantly over the years. Early in my career, I held many conventional views that experience proved wrong. I try to update my beliefs when the evidence changes.

What's the most common pushback you get on this?

People often push back by citing exceptions or edge cases. And they're usually right that exceptions exist. But building a strategy around exceptions rather than patterns is a losing game for most founders.

How can I apply this thinking to my own situation?

Start by identifying the core principle behind the opinion, not the specific example. Then ask yourself: does this principle apply to my context? If yes, test it in a small, low-risk way before going all in.

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