Is 1X Technologies profitable in 2026?

No confirmed profitability. 1X does not disclose audited financials; an unaudited estimate put 2025 revenue at about $222.5M, and its EVE/ADT security contract reportedly runs at negative gross margin as 1X prioritizes data collection over unit profit, as of January 2026.

Has 1X Technologies actually shipped its NEO home robot yet?

As of mid-2026, 1X had not shipped a single consumer NEO unit despite selling out its 10,000-unit first-year production run within five days of pre-orders opening October 28, 2025. The company has promised some deliveries before end of 2026.

Does 1X Technologies' NEO robot use real AI autonomy or human operators?

As of late 2025 and into 2026, most complex NEO chores like folding laundry were performed by remote human operators in VR headsets via 'Expert Mode,' not autonomous AI, per an October 29, 2025 Decrypt report. 1X calls this a deliberate data-bootstrapping phase toward autonomy.

Who owns 1X Technologies?

1X Technologies is privately held, founded in 2014 by CEO Bernt Oivind Bornich as Halodi Robotics, rebranded in 2023. Key investors include OpenAI Startup Fund (since March 2023) and EQT Ventures, which led a $100M Series B at an $820M post-money valuation in January 2024.

Who is 1X Technologies' biggest competitor?

OpenAI, formerly a repeat investor via its Startup Fund, launched an internal robotics division in May 2026 led by Aditya Ramesh, converting a funder into a direct rival. Figure AI is also a threat, having raised over $1B at a $39B valuation in September 2025, roughly four times 1X's target.

Could frontier AI models from OpenAI or others make 1X Technologies' robots obsolete?

It's a live risk. If frontier vision-language-action models from OpenAI, Skild AI, or Physical Intelligence become commoditized and get adopted by rivals like Figure or Unitree, 1X's autonomy narrative could collapse, reducing it to hardware price competition against better-funded players.

AI companies and labs · Norway

1X Technologies

1x.tech ↗

Norwegian startup building humanoid robots (EVE, NEO) for home and enterprise use.

Losing its protection

Assessed 20 July 2026 · Evidence as of 20 July 2026

The structural protection is eroding.

On the recordSince 20 July 2026 · Checkable from end of 2026 · Every call on the record Checkpoint: First consumer NEO deliveries and autonomy performance disclosed

The call

1X has factories, contracts, and pre-orders, but its robots still lean on human teleoperators while its former funder now builds a rival in-house.

1X Technologies builds humanoid robots like EVE and NEO that are supposed to do tasks in homes and businesses. Right now, the robots work mostly because people control them from far away, not because the robots think for themselves. The company faces tough competition from Tesla (which is making Optimus robots), Boston Dynamics, and now OpenAI, which just started its own robotics team and has way more money. If OpenAI or other AI companies release robot-brain software that anyone can use cheaply, 1X's robots become just another piece of hardware in a price war. The one thing that matters: Do the robots actually learn to work on their own by late 2026, or do they stay dependent on humans pulling the strings?

Why

AI pressure: OpenAI robotics division and rival VLA models (Skild AI, Physical Intelligence). If a general-purpose robot AI model gets commoditized by rivals, 1X's hardware becomes a price-competed box with no edge. Could AI do the core job? Only partly.

Bigger players: OpenAI (internal robotics unit), Tesla Optimus, Boston Dynamics. OpenAI funded 1X then launched its own robotics division in May 2026, turning a backer into a direct, better-capitalized competitor. Could a giant copy it? Yes, easily.

What protects it. Early enterprise deployment (ADT, EQT's 300+ companies) and a running factory give 1X real data and distribution rivals lack today.

What would change this call

Whether 1X ships consumer NEO units by end of 2026 performing tasks autonomously, not via VR teleoperators. Would show the AI autonomy story is real rather than hidden human labor.
Whether 1X's Series C ($1B at $10B+ valuation) closes as reported. Would show investors still trust 1X's plan despite Figure and OpenAI competing for capital.
Whether OpenAI's robotics division ships a general VLA model adopted by Figure, Apptronik, or Unitree. Would show 1X's AI differentiation is being commoditized by its former backer.

Key numbers

10,000 NEO pre-orders sold out in 5 days (2025-10-28)
Zero consumer NEO units shipped as of mid-2026 (2026-06-30)
Seeking up to $1B Series C at $10B+ valuation (2025-09-30)

Named risks

Core autonomy claim still relies on human teleoperation, not proven AI, as of late 2025 reporting. Severity: high
Series C funding of up to $1B at $10B+ valuation remained unconfirmed as of June 2026. Severity: high
OpenAI, a repeat investor, launched a competing internal robotics division in May 2026. Severity: high
Aggressive scale-up target of 100,000 units/year by end-2027 via unbuilt San Carlos facility is unconfirmed. Severity: medium
OECD AI incident monitor flagged NEO's teleoperation model as a privacy hazard in October 2025. Severity: medium

Rivals, as read in July 2026

Rival	Direction	Evidence
OpenAI	gaining on	Launched internal robotics division May 2026, converting a repeat investor into a direct rival
Figure AI	gaining on	Raised $1B+ at $39B valuation Sep 2025, about 4x 1X's target, deployed robots at BMW Spartanburg
Unitree Robotics	gaining on	Shipped 5,500+ humanoid units in 2025 at $16,000, undercutting NEO's $20,000 price
Tesla	contesting	Optimus program competes directly in humanoid race, well-funded, cited as named predator in 2026
Apptronik	contesting	Closed $403M Series A, piloting Apollo at Mercedes-Benz and GXO Logistics
Agility Robotics	contesting	10,000-unit annual capacity facility, pilots at Amazon and GXO

Questions people ask

Is 1X Technologies profitable in 2026?: No confirmed profitability. 1X does not disclose audited financials; an unaudited estimate put 2025 revenue at about $222.5M, and its EVE/ADT security contract reportedly runs at negative gross margin as 1X prioritizes data collection over unit profit, as of January 2026.
Has 1X Technologies actually shipped its NEO home robot yet?: As of mid-2026, 1X had not shipped a single consumer NEO unit despite selling out its 10,000-unit first-year production run within five days of pre-orders opening October 28, 2025. The company has promised some deliveries before end of 2026.
Does 1X Technologies' NEO robot use real AI autonomy or human operators?: As of late 2025 and into 2026, most complex NEO chores like folding laundry were performed by remote human operators in VR headsets via 'Expert Mode,' not autonomous AI, per an October 29, 2025 Decrypt report. 1X calls this a deliberate data-bootstrapping phase toward autonomy.
Who owns 1X Technologies?: 1X Technologies is privately held, founded in 2014 by CEO Bernt Oivind Bornich as Halodi Robotics, rebranded in 2023. Key investors include OpenAI Startup Fund (since March 2023) and EQT Ventures, which led a $100M Series B at an $820M post-money valuation in January 2024.
Who is 1X Technologies' biggest competitor?: OpenAI, formerly a repeat investor via its Startup Fund, launched an internal robotics division in May 2026 led by Aditya Ramesh, converting a funder into a direct rival. Figure AI is also a threat, having raised over $1B at a $39B valuation in September 2025, roughly four times 1X's target.
Could frontier AI models from OpenAI or others make 1X Technologies' robots obsolete?: It's a live risk. If frontier vision-language-action models from OpenAI, Skild AI, or Physical Intelligence become commoditized and get adopted by rivals like Figure or Unitree, 1X's autonomy narrative could collapse, reducing it to hardware price competition against better-funded players.

Timeline

2026-061X launches World Model Lab, hires ex-Luma AI researcher Samarth Sinha as Head of World Models
2026-05OpenAI launches internal robotics division led by Aditya Ramesh, competing with 1X
2026-041X opens Hayward, CA NEO Factory targeting 10,000 units/year
2025-12-11EQT announces partnership for up to 10,000 NEO units across 300+ portfolio companies
2025-10-28NEO pre-orders open; 10,000-unit first-year run sells out in five days
2025-091X reportedly seeks up to $1B in funding at $10B+ valuation
2025-061X launches Redwood AI, a vision-language-action model for manipulation
2024-01-111X closes $100M Series B led by EQT Ventures at $820M post-money valuation
2023-03-27OpenAI Startup Fund leads $23.5M Series A2 at $210M post-money valuation

Revision history

20 July 2026

First assessed. Losing its protection. The text above is fixed as of this date and is not edited afterwards.

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