One billion humanoid robots

Tech companies are betting big on robots that look like humans and do human jobs. Why, robot?

This episode was produced by Avishay Artsy, edited by Jolie Myers, fact-checked by Gabriel Dunatov, engineered by David Tatasciore, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

An Optimus humanoid robot showcased at a Tesla booth. Photo: CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images.

Listen to Today, Explained ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. New Vox members get $20 off their membership right now. Transcript at ⁠vox.com/today-explained-podcast.⁠

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Tech companies are betting big on robots that look like humans and do human jobs. Why, robot?

This episode was produced by Avishay Artsy, edited by Jolie Myers, fact-checked by Gabriel Dunatov, engineered by David Tatasciore, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

An Optimus humanoid robot showcased at a Tesla booth. Photo: CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images.

Listen to Today, Explained ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. New Vox members get $20 off their membership right now. Transcript at ⁠vox.com/today-explained-podcast.⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2026-05-07 27 min

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