Boston Dynamics CEO Robert Playter steps down after 30 years at the company

Boston Dynamics, the Massachusetts robotics company known for its four-legged robots and humanoids, is going through a leadership change.

Robert Playter announced in an internal memo on Tuesday that he would step down as CEO of the company. as first reported by A3. Amanda McMaster, the company’s chief financial officer, will fill the top job while the company searches for a replacement.

TechCrunch reached out to Boston Dynamics for more information.

Playter took the helm at Boston Dynamics in 2020, taking over from founder Marc Raibert. Playter spent 30 years at Boston Dynamics, where he held other positions including vice president of engineering and chief operating officer.

Boston Dynamics was founded in 1992 by Raibert as a spin-off from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was a professor. Google’s parent company Alphabet bought Boston Dynamics in 2013, before selling the company to Japanese investment conglomerate SoftBank in 2017.

Hyundai, the current owner, took over the company in 2021.

The robotics maker is best known for its four-legged robot Spot, which the company launched in 2020, shortly after Playter took over. The company recently announced Atlas, a humanoid robot.