Appronik is preparing for a major growth phase as it begins manufacturing and selling its Apollo humanoid robot. | Credit: Apptronik
Apptronik has signaled its transition from experimental robotics to commercial powerhouse by tapping Daniel Chu, the visionary behind Waymo’s autonomous ride-hailing launch, as its new chief product officer. By securing a leader who successfully navigated the leap from lab-bound AI to real-world infrastructure, Apptronik is positioning its humanoid robots as the next great frontier in scalable, mass-market technology.
Daniel Chu will lead Apptronik’s product roadmap. | Credit: Apptronik
The addition of Chu—and veterans from Amazon, Boston Dynamics, and Paramount+—marks a pivotal shift for the Austin-based startup from ambitious R&D to aggressive market entry. Backed by a fresh $935 million Series A and the impending reveal of its flagship humanoid, Apptronik is no longer just building robots; it is building the commercial infrastructure to integrate general-purpose automation into everything from industrial warehouses to the future of eldercare.
Chu’s career has prepared him to lead Apptronik’s long-term product trajectory as the company prepares to bring general-purpose robots first into commercial applications, and eventually into healthcare and the home.
At Waymo, Chu served as chief product officer. It played a foundational role in building the company’s product organization, helping lead the launch of the world’s first fully autonomous ride-hailing service. This experience in navigating the safety and reliability of autonomous machines is critical as Apptronik scales its humanoid robot platform.
Most recently, as chief product pfficer at 23andMe, Chu focused on the frontiers of personalized healthcare, overseeing the integration of complex data into life-changing consumer health insights. Apptronik said this healthcare background is pivotal to its vision for assistive care and eldercare, in which robots will eventually provide the support necessary for an aging population to live with dignity and independence.
“We are at a defining moment in robotics where the technology has finally met the magnitude of the mission,” stated Jeff Cardenas, co-founder and CEO of Apptronik. “Bringing Daniel Chu on board is an essential step in that journey. His unique experience scaling both world-class autonomy and human-centric health platforms is exactly what we need to build the next generations of AI-powered robots and work towards our ‘North Star’ of assistive care and eldercare.”
“Our expanded leadership team represents the best minds from the companies that defined the last decade of technology, and they’ve joined Apptronik to define the next one,” Cardenas added. “We have the talent, the technology, and the momentum to bring AI-powered humanoid robots to the world at scale.”
Chu is ready for physical robotics growth
When asked “What excites you about humanoid robotics?” Daniel Chu responded to The Robot Report: “I’ve always been drawn to cutting-edge technologies that offer an opportunity to make a massive, positive difference in the world. I’ve been fortunate to work with teams at Waymo to tackle the challenge of road safety, and at 23andMe to create a path toward personalized, preventative medicine.”
“Humanoid robotics represents a similar, yet distinct, frontier: embodied AI,” he added. “We are moving beyond software that lives on a screen to a universal platform that can physically interact with our world. What excites me most is the potential to use this technology to improve the human experience in a new way: by removing the physical and logistical burdens that we’ve often just accepted as part of life.”
“By developing robots that can take on physically taxing or hazardous tasks, we can significantly reduce injuries in industrial settings,” said Chu. “These same capabilities then become a foundation for support in other critical areas, such as healthcare and eldercare, where robots can handle the repetitive and time-consuming tasks so that professionals can focus on their core work of care and connection.”
He asserted that “The fundamental challenge in robotics has always been generalization. In the past, robots were limited to specific tasks in controlled environments. We are now at a transformative moment because breakthroughs in artificial intelligence are finally allowing robots to generalize and adapt to unconstrained human environments.”
“This software leap is being met by a significant maturation in hardware,” said Chu. “We finally have the physical components and battery efficiency required for these machines to move fluidly and operate reliably through a full workday. When you combine that hardware maturity with the current leaps in AI, you get a shift from fixed automation toward general-purpose robotics. While there is still much work to be done, we finally have the foundations to move these systems out of the lab and into the real world for meaningful validation.”
Chu said he is excited about his new role because “Apptronik stands out because they’ve been at the forefront of this field long before the current era of global investment. That history has built a foundation of deep robotics expertise and a team culture that is uniquely resilient. They’ve put in the work through every stage of the industry’s evolution.”
“What truly drew me here, though, was their unwavering focus on the right goal: robots serving humanity,” he noted. “While we are making incredible progress in industrial settings today, Apptronik has always viewed those as the first steps toward a much bigger mission. Whether it’s reducing injuries on a loading dock now or supporting healthcare teams and providing companionship in eldercare down the road, Apptronik is building for a future where technology makes the world a better place. Jeff has assembled a world-class team that is building a world-class product and is dedicated to a mission that aligns with my personal values.”
Editor’s note: The Robotics Summit & Expo next month in Boston will include sessions on healthcare robotics, humanoids, and AI. Register now to attend.
Apptronik fills key roles
In addition to Chu, Apptronik has added several key executives to its leadership bench:
- Kevin Garell, senior vice president of services and support – Garell previously led global services and support at Boston Dynamics, and is an expert in scaling the infrastructure required to support robots in the field. He played a critical role in transitioning Boston Dynamics from an R&D focus to a full-scale commercial operation.
- Chirag Shah, vice president of software – In his previous role as a software executive at Amazon for Kindle and Alexa+, Shah led global teams in developing multimodal AI-powered experiences for Kindle, Scribe, and Echo devices. He brings deep expertise in embedded systems and AI-driven software platforms that bridge the gap between digital intelligence and physical interaction.
- Dave Perry, vice president of marketing – An Emmy award-winning digital leader and former Paramount+ and Amazon executive, Perry is known for building globally recognized brands. He has a proven track record of developing innovative world-building consumer campaigns for massive franchises, including Star Trek and Halo.
- Justin Birtz, vice president of people operations – A seasoned people and culture leader who has led people operations at Cellino, a pioneer in personalized regenerative medicine, and iconic robotics company iRobot, Birtz brings specialized experience in scaling high-performance teams within the world’s leading robotics and healthcare tech organizations.
Tell Us What You Think!