Apptronik’s new CPO hire a major step in right direction

Appronik is preparing for a major growth phase as it begins manufacturing and selling its Apollo humanoid robot. | Credit: Apptronik

Apptronik has signaled its transition from experimental robotics to commercial powerhouse by tapping Daniel Chu, the visionary behind Waymo’s autonomous ride-hailing launch, as its new chief product officer. By securing a leader who successfully navigated the leap from lab-bound AI to real-world infrastructure, Apptronik is positioning its humanoid robots as the next great frontier in scalable, mass-market technology.

Daniel Chu will lead Apptronik’s product roadmap. | Credit: Apptronik

The addition of Chu—and veterans from Amazon, Boston Dynamics, and Paramount+—marks a pivotal shift for the Austin-based startup from ambitious R&D to aggressive market entry. Backed by a fresh $935 million Series A and the impending reveal of its flagship humanoid, Apptronik is no longer just building robots; it is building the commercial infrastructure to integrate general-purpose automation into everything from industrial warehouses to the future of eldercare.

Chu’s career has prepared him to lead Apptronik’s long-term product trajectory as the company prepares to bring general-purpose robots first into commercial applications, and eventually into healthcare and the home.

At Waymo , Chu served as chief product officer. It played a foundational role in building the company’s product organization, helping lead the launch of the world’s first fully autonomous ride-hailing service. This experience in navigating the safety and reliability of autonomous machines is critical as Apptronik scales its humanoid robot platform.

Most recently, as chief product pfficer at 23andMe, Chu focused on the frontiers of personalized healthcare, overseeing the integration of complex data into life-changing consumer health insights. Apptronik said this healthcare background is pivotal to its vision for assistive care and eldercare, in which robots will eventually provide the support necessary for an aging population to live with dignity and independence.

“We are at a defining moment in robotics where the technology has finally met the magnitude of the mission,” stated Jeff Cardenas, co-founder and CEO of Apptronik. “Bringing Daniel Chu on board is an essential step in that journey. His unique experience scaling both world-class autonomy and human-centric health platforms is exactly what we need to build the next generations of AI-powered robots and work towards our ‘North Star’ of assistive care and eldercare.”

“Our expanded leadership team represents the best minds from the companies that defined the last decade of technology, and they’ve joined Apptronik to define the next one,” Cardenas added. “We have the talent, the technology, and the momentum to bring AI-powered humanoid robots to the world at scale.”