Morning Edition · Saturday, July 18, 2026Published at 1:46 AM EDT · New York
Hyundai Moves to Full Ownership of Boston Dynamics Days After Its Workers Struck Over Robots
The roughly $325 million buyout of SoftBank's remaining 9.9% stake comes as unionized Hyundai workers demand that no humanoid enter a plant without a labor agreement first.
Hyundai Motor Group moved to acquire SoftBank's remaining 9.9% stake in Boston Dynamics, making the US-founded robotics firm a wholly owned subsidiary. The transaction, valued at roughly $325 million and implying an enterprise value near $3…
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Part of a tracked trend
Humanoid Automation Meets Labor Friction
As manufacturers integrate humanoid robotics vertically and set deployment targets, organized labor increasingly turns automation into a bargaining front, and pre-deployment consent fights will recur across industrial economies.
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