SoftBank Plans to Acquire Majority Stake in Humanoid Robot Company 1X at ~$6 Billion Valuation
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SoftBank is negotiating a majority stake in humanoid-robot startup 1X Technologies at roughly $6 billion — Masayoshi Son's most direct controlling bet on physical AI yet, and a defining test of whether his robotics strategy can deliver.
Where does the $6 billion price tag come from?
Last autumn 1X sought to raise $1 billion at a $10 billion valuation but ultimately collected less than half that target.
This means → the market already rejected that price; the fundraising shortfall directly weakened 1X's negotiating position.
The current $6 billion figure is 40% below last year's target valuation, yet still a dramatic jump from the $820 million valuation set in January. In plain terms = the company's valuation surged more than 7× in six months, almost entirely on the SoftBank premium.
Why is SoftBank the buyer?
Founder Masayoshi Son has long called the convergence of robotics and AI the next trillion-dollar industry, stating last year: "SoftBank's next frontier is physical AI."
Recent moves have been rapid: a $5.4 billion acquisition of Swiss automation giant ABB's robotics division last October, plus investments in industrial humanoid firm Agile Robots and acquisition talks with Agility Robotics.
This reflects a systematic effort to assemble a full physical-AI portfolio — spanning industrial robots to consumer-grade humanoids.
Why didn't OpenAI close the deal?
OpenAI discussed acquiring 1X last year, but talks stalled. 1X was originally backed by OpenAI's startup fund in 2023.
OpenAI's hardware strategy has since pivoted toward an AI smart-speaker collaboration with former Apple design chief Jony Ive.
Its robotics lead Caitlin Kalinowski resigned in March, citing OpenAI's rushed push into a U.S. Department of Defense contract. This means → OpenAI's robotics ambitions have effectively contracted, making 1X's shift to SoftBank unsurprising.
What is SoftBank's track record in robotics?
Not spotless: its humanoid robot Pepper was discontinued in 2020, and SoftBank sold its entire stake in Boston Dynamics this July.
In plain terms = SoftBank has already paid tuition in robotics — neither Pepper nor Boston Dynamics reached commercial viability under its ownership.
Yet breakthroughs in AI have re-energized the playbook. SoftBank also launched Roze AI, a joint venture focused on AI and robotics, planning to go public later this year or early next.
Can 1X actually deliver a product?
Its flagship is Neo, a soft-bodied humanoid robot — built with flexible materials rather than rigid metal frames — designed for home assistance and priced at $20,000.
Pre-orders opened last October; the first week drew over 10,000 orders, but no units have shipped to consumers so far.
The company released a world model for robot control — an AI model that lets a robot understand physical environments — in January and unveiled a tendon-driven five-finger hand design in July. Whether 1X can deliver on schedule in 2026 is the first real test of the deal's commercial logic.
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