Robert Playter, CEO of Boston Dynamics, has stepped down from the company. Playter took over as CEO in 2019 and led the company through its acquisition by Hyundai in 2020. Prior to taking over as CEO, Playter served as the company’s chief operating officer. His last day with the company will be February 27, 2026. According to Boston Dynamics, Playter plans to retire.

Amanda McMaster, Boston Dynamic’s chief financial officer, will take over as interim CEO until the board of directors finds its next leader. 

Playter took over as CEO at a crucial time for Boston Dynamics. The company was long known for its research platforms, like the hydraulically-powered Atlas humanoid, but was now looking to turn its technology into commercial systems. Playter helped to bring Spot, Stetch, and most recently, a fully electric version of Atlas to market. 

Since Spot, Boston Dynamics’ quadruped robot, was launched in 2020, the robot has been deployed in a range of industrial settings. In 2022, the decommissioning crew at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant started using Spot to survey the site of the disaster and plan for the future. The company released Stretch in 2022 and has since then seen interest from customers like DHL Supply Chain, GAP, H&M, and Performance Team – A Maersk Company.

Boston Dynamics launched the commercial Atlas just last year, and an updated productized version at CES 2026. All Atlas units for 2026 are already committed, shipping to the RMAC and Google DeepMind, with additional customers planned for 2027. Hyundai aims to manufacture up to 30,000 humanoids annually by 2028. 

“Robert Playter is an icon of the global robotics industry, and the entire Boston Dynamics team wishes to express our sincere appreciation and gratitude for his leadership. From the earliest days of hopping robots, to the world’s first quadrupeds, to spearheading the entire humanoid industry, Playter made his mark as a pioneer of innovation. He transformed Boston Dynamics from a small research and development lab into a successful business that now proudly calls itself the global leader in mobile robotics. He will be sorely missed, but we hope he enjoys some well-deserved time off. Thanks, Rob,” Boston Dynamics said in a statement about the departure.

Playter’s closing words for Boston Dynamics staff

Playter announced his departure in an email to Boston Dynamics’ staff. His entire message is below. 

Team,

For more than 30 years, I have dedicated my life to building the world’s best robots alongside the world’s best team, and I could not be prouder of the company we have built together.

Today I’m making the incredibly difficult decision to step down as CEO of Boston Dynamics. Amanda McMaster will serve as interim CEO, and our Board of Directors will be leading a search to find the company’s next leader. We will host an all-employee meeting later this week to celebrate our success and make the transition official. My last day with the company will be Feb. 27.

I accepted the position of CEO in the fall of 2019 as the company stood at an inflection point. Our challenge was clear: transition from an innovation lab to a sustainable, scalable business while retaining the exceptional talent and culture that made our breakthroughs possible. I’m proud to say that we have navigated these changes well, culminating in the remarkable year we just experienced. We’ve achieved meaningful commercial milestones with Spot and Stretch, re-established Atlas’ leadership in a rapidly emerging industry and deepened our strategic partnership with Hyundai and Google DeepMind. Our success hinges on the same principle that guided this transition: we are building for the long term. The robotics market is at an early stage, and companies that combine technical excellence, commercial discipline, and patient capital are best positioned to capture what comes next. Boston Dynamics has all three.

The company is in a strong position, poised for the next stage of growth. A new CEO will bring the experience and energy required for this next phase. Our existing leadership team is strong, capable, and united. They know what this business needs to achieve as we prepare to produce robots at mass scale, and I have full confidence that Amanda and the team will guide Boston Dynamics through this transition phase without missing a beat.

Boston Dynamics has been the ride of a lifetime. What this place has become has exceeded anything I could have ever imagined all those years ago in our funky lab in the basement of the MIT Media Lab. We have created something truly special here, showing that greatness comes from talent, commitment and teamwork rather than superstar status. Many of you have heard me say that whether in sports or in business, all of my most rewarding experiences have come as a teammate. Leading this team has been the honor of my life.

This is a breaking story. The Robot Report will be updating this story soon.

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