Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Who will take care of you in old age? Jeff Cardenas, the CEO and co-founder of Apptronik, says the answer is robots. The startup founder set out to build a smart, dexterous robot after watching his grandfathers grow old and dependent in their later years. Beyond healthcare, Cardenas sees robots as essential to U.S. economic growth and national security with applications across industries. Even with the latest advances in artificial intelligence and hardware, what will it take for humanoid robots to make the leap from science fiction to reality? On the latest episode of the Bold Names podcast, Cardenas tells WSJ’s Christopher Mims and Tim Higgins why Apptronik is betting it will create the home robot helper that everyone will want.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:50 Apollo the robot
2:48 Apptronik origin story
4:00 What is Apptronik’s timeline?
6:40 Evolution of robot technology
7:48 Who are Apptronik’s investors?
10:17 How far away is Apptronik’s rollout?
11:33 Apptronik pilot projects
12:55 What are the economics?
14:52 Manufacturing
18:50 How much future capital is needed?
19:41 Competition
22:30 Chinese robotics strategy
24:23 Why does the U.S. need to beat China?
WSJ’s Bold Names brings you conversations with the leaders of the bold-named companies featured in the pages of The Wall Street Journal. Hosts Tim Higgins and Christopher Mims speak to CEOs and business leaders in interviews that challenge conventional wisdom and take you inside the decisions being made in the C-suite and beyond.
Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at BoldNames@wsj.com
#Tech #Business #WSJ
Who will take care of you in old age? Jeff Cardenas, the CEO and co-founder of Apptronik, says the answer is robots. The startup founder set out to build a smart, dexterous robot after watching his grandfathers grow old and dependent in their later years. Beyond healthcare, Cardenas sees robots as essential to U.S. economic growth and national security with applications across industries. Even with the latest advances in artificial intelligence and hardware, what will it take for humanoid robots to make the leap from science fiction to reality? On the latest episode of the Bold Names podcast, Cardenas tells WSJ’s Christopher Mims and Tim Higgins why Apptronik is betting it will create the home robot helper that everyone will want.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:50 Apollo the robot
2:48 Apptronik origin story
4:00 What is Apptronik’s timeline?
6:40 Evolution of robot technology
7:48 Who are Apptronik’s investors?
10:17 How far away is Apptronik’s rollout?
11:33 Apptronik pilot projects
12:55 What are the economics?
14:52 Manufacturing
18:50 How much future capital is needed?
19:41 Competition
22:30 Chinese robotics strategy
24:23 Why does the U.S. need to beat China?
WSJ’s Bold Names brings you conversations with the leaders of the bold-named companies featured in the pages of The Wall Street Journal. Hosts Tim Higgins and Christopher Mims speak to CEOs and business leaders in interviews that challenge conventional wisdom and take you inside the decisions being made in the C-suite and beyond.
Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at BoldNames@wsj.com
#Tech #Business #WSJ
