The Google-Backed Startup Taking on Elon Musk in Humanoid Robotics

Bold Names

The Wall Street Journal

Technology

4.4 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 26 September 2025

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Who will take care of you in old age? Jeff Cardenas, the CEO and co-founder of Apptronik, says the answer is robots. The startup founder set out to build a smart, dexterous robot after watching his grandfathers grow old and dependent in their later years. Beyond healthcare, Cardenas sees robots as essential to U.S. economic growth and national security with applications across industries. Even with the latest advances in artificial intelligence and hardware, what will it take for humanoid robots to make the leap from science fiction to reality? On the latest episode of the Bold Names podcast, Cardenas tells WSJ’s Christopher Mims and Tim Higgins why Apptronik is betting it will create the home robot helper that everyone will want. Check Out Past Episodes: Why IBM's CEO Thinks His Company Can Crack Quantum Computing ‘Businesses Don’t Like Uncertainty’: How Cisco Is Navigating AI and Trump 2.0 Humanoid Robot Startups Are Hot. This AI Expert Cuts Through the Hype. Reid Hoffman Says AI Isn’t an ‘Arms Race,’ but America Needs to Win Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at [email protected]. Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Read Christopher Mims’s Keywords column. Read Tim Higgins’s column. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	This message comes from Viking, committed to exploring the world in comfort.
0:05.6	Journey through the heart of Europe on an elegant Viking longship with thoughtful service,
0:10.1	destination-focused dining, and cultural enrichment on board and on shore.
0:14.7	And every Viking voyage is all-inclusive with no children and no casinos.
0:19.8	Discover more at Vikingiking.com.
0:22.1	You were supposed to be on earlier this year, but you canceled on us at the last minute
0:26.5	because I think you had a special delivery that arrived. That is correct. Yeah, I had a new
0:32.5	baby girl that entered the world a few weeks early. Congratulations. I mean, so here's the guy who you're trying to replace human workers with robots,
0:42.2	but you've got a side gig making babies.
0:44.5	Does that mean you're hedging your bets?
0:46.9	No, I think both will coexist.
0:48.9	That's the name of the game.
0:52.8	Today, on bold names, we have Jeff Cardenas.
0:56.5	He is the CEO of Austin, Texas, humanoid robot company, Apptronic.
1:02.1	And while he may have just added a human to his family, he imagines a future where families will be adding humanoids to their households, except something that looks
1:12.4	like C3PO with a glow-up.
1:14.6	Yeah, Tim, the thought warms my heart.
1:17.8	Adding one of these robots to my own household, it's a long-term goal.
1:21.9	They're going to be more like Rosie, though, from the Jetsons. And, sir. Here I am.
1:28.3	And I realize not all of you are going to get that reference.
1:31.3	She's the housekeeper in that show.
1:34.3	Anyway, it doesn't matter.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Wall Street Journal, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of The Wall Street Journal and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.