Figure AI expands robot operations hiring in Silicon Valley

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Figure AI robot operations hiring

Highlights

Figure AI is hiring overnight operations coordinators and robot operators in Silicon Valley, indicating a need for human oversight as its robots enter commercial use.
Global robotics and physical AI funding reached $33.4 billion in the first half of this year, surpassing the $28.7 billion raised in all of 2025 and intensifying sector competition.
Figure AI, valued at $39 billion after a $1 billion Series C in 2022, is targeting labor shortages in manufacturing, logistics, warehousing, and retail with initial focus on repetitive tasks.

Night operations role supports commercial robot use

As first reported by Business Insider, Figure AI's newly posted job ad seeks a coordinator to manage overnight robot activity from 10:30 p.m. to 7 a.m., including a weekend shift. The role includes scheduling and coaching staff, troubleshooting robot failures and safety issues, and at times operating the humanoid machines directly.

The posting also describes a physically demanding job. The coordinator will spend most of the shift on their feet and must be able to lift, carry, and maneuver equipment or humanoid hardware weighing up to 50 pounds.

Figure is also advertising for humanoid robot operators to work with its machines on testing and validating new behaviors and skills. The hiring points to a broader need for human oversight as the company moves robots into real-world commercial settings.

Funding boom lifts pressure on execution

Investor backing for robotics and physical AI companies continues to rise sharply. PitchBook data show the sector attracted $33.4 billion worldwide in the first half of this year, above the $28.7 billion raised in all of 2025 and far higher than the level recorded in 2020, when funding totaled just under $5 billion.

That momentum is feeding competition among humanoid robotics companies. Last week, rival Agility Robotics went public through a merger with a special-purpose acquisition company, underscoring investor appetite for the sector.

Founded in 2022, Figure said a little over a year ago that it was valued at $39 billion after raising $1 billion in a Series C round led by Parkway Venture Capital. On its website, the company says it is targeting jobs humans do not want to perform, beginning with manufacturing, shipping and logistics, warehousing, and retail, where it says labor shortages are especially acute.

Figure says its machines are expected to start with structured, repetitive work before moving to more complex tasks. For now, however, the company's latest hiring shows that keeping humanoid robots running still requires people to make decisions, solve problems, and manage operations through the night.

In a previous article, we explained how a KPMG survey found AI agents boosting efficiency while broader business transformation still lagged.

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