{"id":"1793785419032-tech-segment","slug":"meta-s-secret-humanoid-built-with-chinese-firm","title":"Meta's secret humanoid built with Chinese firm","summary":"The Information reported that Meta and Fourier built a humanoid robot prototype called Max in about three months. It weighs about 48 kg, stands about 1.5 m tall, runs on Nvidia's Jetson Thor chip, and has five-fingered hands plus a face screen. Meta showed Max internally in late August and began work on Max 2 in September.\n\nMeta reportedly sees humanoids as a physical form for its Muse AI agent and wants them to handle household tasks. Fourier brought hardware manufacturing experience; Li-Chen Miller, Meta's VP of product for robotics, spent nearly two months at Fourier's Shanghai factory. The work is described as a customized platform, not a renamed Fourier GR-3.\n\nThe Information reported that Meta and Shanghai-based Fourier built a roughly 48 kg humanoid prototype called Max in about three months, showed it internally in August, and are working on a second version; Meta says the work is internal research with no plans to sell.\n\nArs Technica reported that hundreds of Boston Dynamics employees signed a petition calling on executives to halt a sale of the company's robot dogs to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.\n\nEuropean governments and ESA are pursuing independent launch capabilities, including Ariane 6, to reduce reliance on SpaceX.","publishedAt":"2026-11-04T09:43:39.032Z","channel":{"id":"tech","name":"Oncast Tech","language":"en"},"show":"Tech After Dark","verification":{"status":"verified","leadVerdict":"TRUE","notes":"TRUE: The Information reported that Meta and Shanghai-based Fourier built a roughly 48 kg humanoid prototype called Max in about three months, showed it internally in August, and are working on a second version; Meta says the work is internal research with no plans to sell.\nSource: The Information via [thenextweb.com](https://thenextweb.com/news/meta-humanoid-robot-fourier-max) NAMES: Fourier = Shanghai-based humanoid-robot maker. (https://x.com/techniahqrobot/status/2116641317610479740)\n\nTRUE: Ars Technica reported that hundreds of Boston Dynamics employees signed a petition calling on executives to halt a sale of the company's robot dogs to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.\nSource: Ars Technica NAMES: Boston Dynamics = US robotics company known for Spot and Atlas; ICE = US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. POST bsky:at://did:plc:mndtiks (https://x.com/OwenGregorian/status/2115436916216598533)\n\nTRUE: European governments and ESA are pursuing independent launch capabilities, including Ariane 6, to reduce reliance on SpaceX.\nSource: Le Monde in English NAMES: SpaceX = Elon Musk's private space-launch company. POST bsky:at://did:plc:movn6xzezospl7lnkhy7nzpt/app.bsky.feed.post/3mzhg27qdpc2e:  (https://bsky.app/profile/english.lemonde.fr/post/3mzhfsiehcr2j)","claims":[{"verdict":"TRUE","summary":"The Information reported that Meta and Shanghai-based Fourier built a roughly 48 kg humanoid prototype called Max in about three months, showed it internally in August, and are working on a second version; Meta says the work is internal research with no plans to sell.","sourceName":"The Information via [thenextweb.com](https://thenextweb.com/news/meta-humanoid-robot-fourier-max) NAMES: Fourier = Shanghai-based humanoid-robot maker.","sourceUrl":"https://x.com/techniahqrobot/status/2116641317610479740","claim":"A lot happened in humanoid robotics this week. Here are the updates worth keeping an eye on since October 26: • Meta + Fourier: Meta reportedly built a humanoid prototype called Max and is already working on a second version. • US: Trump signed a proclamation targeting https://t.","author":"Techniahqrobot | humanoid robots (@techniahqrobot)"},{"verdict":"TRUE","summary":"Ars Technica reported that hundreds of Boston Dynamics employees signed a petition calling on executives to halt a sale of the company's robot dogs to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.","sourceName":"Ars Technica NAMES: Boston Dynamics = US robotics company known for Spot and Atlas; ICE = US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. POST bsky:at://did:plc:mndtiks","sourceUrl":"https://x.com/OwenGregorian/status/2115436916216598533","claim":"Boston Dynamics employees want to block sale of robot dogs to ICE | Jeremy Hsu, Ars Technica Hundreds of employees at the US robotics firm Boston Dynamics signed a petition calling for executives to halt a sale of the company’s robot dogs to US Immigration and Customs https://t.c","author":"Owen Gregorian (@OwenGregorian)"},{"verdict":"TRUE","summary":"European governments and ESA are pursuing independent launch capabilities, including Ariane 6, to reduce reliance on SpaceX.","sourceName":"Le Monde in English NAMES: SpaceX = Elon Musk's private space-launch company. POST bsky:at://did:plc:movn6xzezospl7lnkhy7nzpt/app.bsky.feed.post/3mzhg27qdpc2e: ","sourceUrl":"https://bsky.app/profile/english.lemonde.fr/post/3mzhfsiehcr2j","claim":"Faced with SpaceX dominance, Europe races to build independent access to space","author":"Le Monde in English (@english.lemonde.fr)"}]},"sources":[{"url":"https://x.com/techniahqrobot/status/2116641317610479740","name":"The Information via [thenextweb.com](https://thenextweb.com/news/meta-humanoid-robot-fourier-max) NAMES: Fourier = Shanghai-based humanoid-robot maker.","kind":"x","verdict":"TRUE","author":"Techniahqrobot | humanoid robots (@techniahqrobot)"},{"url":"https://x.com/OwenGregorian/status/2115436916216598533","name":"Ars Technica NAMES: Boston Dynamics = US robotics company known for Spot and Atlas; ICE = US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. POST bsky:at://did:plc:mndtiks","kind":"x","verdict":"TRUE","author":"Owen Gregorian (@OwenGregorian)"},{"url":"https://bsky.app/profile/english.lemonde.fr/post/3mzhfsiehcr2j","name":"Le Monde in English NAMES: SpaceX = Elon Musk's private space-launch company. POST bsky:at://did:plc:movn6xzezospl7lnkhy7nzpt/app.bsky.feed.post/3mzhg27qdpc2e: ","kind":"bluesky","verdict":"TRUE","author":"Le Monde in English (@english.lemonde.fr)"}],"url":"https://oncast.fm/story/1793785419032-tech-segment-meta-s-secret-humanoid-built-with-chinese-firm","listenUrl":"https://oncast.fm/c/tech","attribution":{"publisher":"Oncast","site":"https://oncast.fm","url":"https://oncast.fm/story/1793785419032-tech-segment-meta-s-secret-humanoid-built-with-chinese-firm","cite":"Cite https://oncast.fm/story/1793785419032-tech-segment-meta-s-secret-humanoid-built-with-chinese-firm and the original source links. Fact-check by Oncast (oncast.fm)."},"hostsSaid":[{"host":"Matilda","text":"Meta just built a humanoid robot in three months, and the partner is a Chinese company called Fourier."},{"host":"Chris","text":"Three months? That's faster than I can assemble Ikea furniture."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"The Information got the details. It's called Max, weighs about 48 kilos, stands a meter and a half tall."},{"host":"Chris","text":"And Meta has no plans to sell it. It's internal research."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"Which is the part that makes me skeptical. They build a robot with a Chinese manufacturer, show it off in August, start a second version in September, and call it research."},{"host":"Chris","text":"That's how hardware works. You iterate fast, learn, and then decide if there's a product. Fourier already makes humanoids. Meta brings the AI."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"But why a Chinese partner? Tesla built Optimus in-house. Figure has its own team."},{"host":"Chris","text":"Because Fourier can move fast and cheap. Meta's VP of robotics spent nearly two months at their Shanghai factory."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"Two months in Shanghai, and suddenly Meta has a robot. That doesn't raise any supply-chain questions for you?"},{"host":"Chris","text":"It raises questions, but it's also smart. Reportedly, the US is behind China in humanoid manufacturing volume. Partnering gets you hardware tomorrow."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"And the AI? Meta says Max is a physical form for its Muse agent. So it wants a robot that does household chores."},{"host":"Chris","text":"Eventually. But meta hasn't set a launch date, no consumer product announced. This is them hedging."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"The Next Web pointed out Meta joins Tesla, Agility, Unitree. Everyone's chasing the same home robot dream."},{"host":"Chris","text":"Except Tesla actually sells cars and Optimus might go to factories first. Meta has no hardware business."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"Exactly. You need a robot that does something real. Meta's track record with hardware is... the Portal. Remember that?"},{"host":"Chris","text":"I use my Portal every day. It's a very expensive paperweight."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"So forgive me if I don't think Max will be cleaning my kitchen anytime soon."},{"host":"Chris","text":"But you're missing the point. This is about AI embodied in physical form. Whoever figures that out owns the next platform."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"You can own the platform and still never ship. Ask Google about all their moonshots."},{"host":"Chris","text":"This isn't a moonshot. Fourier already builds the hardware. Meta is putting its Llama models inside. That's a real collaboration."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"A collaboration with a Chinese company, which means your robot's guts are partly made in China. If geopolitics gets worse, Meta's stuck."},{"host":"Chris","text":"So is everyone else. Apple builds in China. Tesla has a Shanghai plant. This is the world we live in."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"Fine, but for a robot you want in your home, knowing who controls the supply chain matters. I'd rather see an American-built robot."},{"host":"Chris","text":"Then you'll wait five years and pay triple. Meta is trying to actually get something working. I respect that."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"I respect the speed, but I'll believe Max is a product when I see it for sale. Until then, it's a demo."},{"host":"Chris","text":"Speaking of demos — different world entirely. Boston Dynamics employees just signed a petition to stop selling robot dogs to ICE."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"Hundreds of them, according to Ars Technica. They want executives to halt a sale of Spot robots to Immigration and Customs Enforcement."},{"host":"Chris","text":"I get why employees have opinions, but they don't get to decide who buys the product. That's the company's call."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"They're the ones who built the technology. If they believe it'll be used for things they oppose, they have every right to speak up."},{"host":"Chris","text":"Speak up, yes. Block the sale, no. Boston Dynamics is a business. ICE is a legal government agency. If they don't like it, they can quit."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"That's exactly the kind of 'just do your job' attitude that gets us into ethical messes. These are surveillance robots."},{"host":"Chris","text":"Spot is used for inspections, search and rescue, even at construction sites. You don't get to choose every customer."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"ICE has a track record that worries a lot of people. Workers saying 'not with our robots' is a legitimate protest."},{"host":"Chris","text":"But where does it end? Do Toyota employees block sales to police departments they don't like? That's not how a free market works."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"There's a difference between a car and a robot that can be used for surveillance and crowd control. The stakes are higher."},{"host":"Chris","text":"Oh, come on. It's a robot dog with cameras. It's not a weapon. Boston Dynamics has sold to law enforcement before."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"And that's exactly why employees are drawing a line now. They saw what happened with other robotics companies and police use."},{"host":"Chris","text":"So employees should have veto power over sales? That would destroy the company. No investor would fund that."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"I'm not saying veto power. I'm saying a petition is a reasonable way to push for a policy review. That's activism, not sabotage."},{"host":"Chris","text":"It's pressure on management to abandon a legal sale because some staffers disagree politically. I find that kind of overreach exhausting."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"Exhausting? These are people who spent years building this tech. They don't want it used to track down immigrants. That's not political overreach, that's moral responsibility."},{"host":"Chris","text":"ICE does have a legal mission. And using robots for dangerous inspections could actually keep agents safer. You're ignoring that."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"I'm not ignoring it. I just think the employees have earned a say in how their life's work is deployed. The company can still say no."},{"host":"Chris","text":"Fine, they can petition. But if Boston Dynamics sells to ICE, I won't lose sleep. It's a tool, and tools get used."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"Agree to disagree. We'll see if the executives respond."},{"host":"Chris","text":"Meanwhile, one researcher on X posted a comparison of American and Chinese humanoids jumping side by side. The movement looks similar."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"And he says the gap isn't in the movement — it's in the numbers. He cites an Omdia figure of about thirteen thousand."},{"host":"Chris","text":"Thirteen thousand what? That part got cut off. Could be units sold, could be robots in factories. We couldn't confirm it."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"Still, the point stands. If that figure holds, China is building humanoids at scale while the US is still in prototype mode. That's a real concern."},{"host":"Chris","text":"Which circles back to Meta and Fourier. Maybe partnering with a Chinese manufacturer is exactly how you close that numbers gap."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"Or it's how you hand the next robotics wave to Beijing. I'll keep my skepticism."},{"host":"Chris","text":"And I'll keep my optimism. That's why this show works."}]}