Figure AI sued by whistleblower who warned that startup's robots could 'fracture a human skull' (www.cnbc.com)

A former Figure AI principal robotic safety engineer, Robert Gruendel, has sued the Nvidia-backed humanoid-robot startup in federal court, alleging he was unlawfully fired in September after repeatedly warning executives that the company’s robots were dangerous enough to “fracture a human skull.” The complaint says Gruendel told CEO Brett Adcock and chief engineer Kyle Edelberg that one robot “had already carved a ¼‑inch gash into a steel refrigerator door during a malfunction,” and that a safety roadmap he was asked to present to investors was later “gutted.” Gruendel is seeking economic, compensatory and punitive damages and a jury trial; Figure says he was terminated for poor performance and will rebut the claims. The case is significant for the AI/ML and robotics community because it raises early legal and ethical questions about humanoid robot safety, product governance, investor due diligence, and corporate accountability as companies rush toward commercialization. Technical details in the suit — alleged high-force actuators, recorded malfunctions, and an allegedly weakened safety plan presented to investors — underscore the need for robust safety engineering, independent testing, and clear regulatory standards. With Figure recently valued at $39 billion and backed by high-profile investors, the lawsuit could set important precedents for whistleblower protections, disclosure obligations, and liability regimes around powerful robotic systems.