If you thought tech layoffs were only affecting human employees, think again.
“It’s unfortunate to see it shut down,” says the former employee. “We are starting to see that robots can do meaningful work in a general way. I don't think it’s a sign of a lack of progress. With the right focus, in five years you could have a meaningful product in the market.”
Alphabet declined to share which Everyday Robots assets and team members will transition to other research teams. In the past, the company has secured outside funding from venture capitalists and other investors for some of its subsidiaries to lessen its own financial burden. It could not be learned whether Alphabet tried that route with Everyday Robots before the shutdown decision.
“Investors are less interested in funding research projects than they were four or five years ago and are more eager to build real businesses around robotics,” says Shahin Farshchi, general partner at venture firm Lux Capital. Pressure on tech stocks has made acquisitions of startups feel less likely, and cost-cutting across industries has made customers more discerning. Many venture capitalists, in turn, are less eager to take on the riskiest ideas, he says.
Kelly Chen, partner at venture firm DCVC, says the robotics companies succeeding at attracting new investment are those “solving real customer pain points,” selling machines that help out with work that is tedious or dangerous for humans to perform and where facilities are highly organized and spacious enough for robots to navigate. Inside an ecommerce warehouse, for example, special markers can be installed to help robots to move about, and workplace rules can ensure human staff keep away.
Big companies also now have immediate threats to tackle, Gombolay says, noting that Google and its rivals are trying to focus on integrating
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