Figure AI Lawsuit: Safety Engineer Fired Over Robot Safety Concerns

Allegations Against Figure AI

• 💡 Rob Grindell, former head of safety at Figure AI, claims he was fired for prioritizing robot safety over the company's alleged pursuit of speed and profit.
• 🔑 Grindell, a machinery safety global leader with experience at Amazon's robotics division, alleges Figure AI was neglecting crucial safety measures.
• 📌 The lawsuit provides a rare glimpse into the collision of safety, ethics, and profitability within a rapidly evolving AI startup.

Initial Safety Efforts and Roadblocks

• 🚀 Upon joining Figure AI in October 2024, Grindell found no existing safety protocols or an Environment, Health, and Safety (ESH) team.
• ✅ He successfully designed and implemented safety protocols, reporting directly to the CEO and briefing investors on compliance.
• ⚠️ Grindell created a safety roadmap for safely deploying Figure AI robots in homes, but the CEO allegedly ignored the detailed document.

Escalating Concerns and Downgraded Plans

• 📈 In June 2025, Grindell's safety white paper was well-received by investors and publicly praised by the CEO.
• 🚨 Shortly after, he discovered the chief engineer significantly downgraded his safety plan, leading Grindell to warn that this could be seen as fraud.
• 🔬 A test on the Figure 2 model revealed it could generate forces 20 times higher than the human pain threshold, capable of fracturing a human skull.

Unreported Incidents and Termination

• 💬 Grindell's urgent warnings to the CEO and chief engineer about the robot's danger were ignored, prompting him to launch an anonymous safety survey.
• ⚠️ The survey uncovered numerous unreported safety incidents, including a Figure 2 robot narrowly missing an employee and punching an inch-deep gash into a refrigerator.
• 🚪 Grindell was terminated in September 2025, with the company citing a