The First Killer Robot Lawsuit Just Hit Federal Court

Last Friday, something historic happened.Robert Gruendel—a 26-year veteran of robotics safety and former head of product safety at Figure AI—filed a federal lawsuit that may be the first whistleblower case in history related to humanoid robots as potential instruments of lethal force.This isn't science fiction. This is Northern District of California. Case filed. Public record.In this briefing, I break down:
Who Robert Gruendel is—and why his credentials matter
What he discovered about Figure AI's humanoid robots (powerful enough to fracture a human skull)
The warnings he gave to CEO Brett Adcock and Chief Engineer Kyle Edelberg
How the company allegedly "gutted" the safety roadmap presented to investors—the same month they closed a $39 billion funding round
Why he was fired in September 2025, days after filing his most direct safety complaints
What this lawsuit means for the future of AI robotics, autonomous systems, and corporate accountability
This follows a pattern we've seen before: Boeing's 737 MAX. Engineers raise alarms. Executives prioritize speed to market over safety. Disaster follows.The difference? This time, we have a chance to stop it before bodies pile up.Robert Gruendel tried to warn them. They fired him. Now a federal court will decide if Figure AI knowingly deployed dangerous machines to win a market race—or if safety really came first.

LINKS:
Full Court Filing (Gruendel v. Figure AI): https://www.scribd.com/document/95287...
CNBC Coverage: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/21/figur...
Campaign to Stop Killer Robots: https://www.stopkillerrobots.org/
Future of Life Institute: https://futureoflife.org/