Figure Valued $39B Backed by Silicon Valley Giants

Figure, a Silicon Valley-based startup founded in 2022, has rapidly become the world's highest-valued humanoid robotics company with a $39 billion valuation after raising over $1 billion in its Series C funding round led by Parkway Venture Capital and supported by major tech investors such as NVIDIA, Intel, and Amazon-affiliated funds. Meanwhile, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has emphasized that robotaxis will eventually replace human drivers within 10 to 15 years, posing a significant societal challenge regarding job displacement for millions of gig workers reliant on ride-hailing platforms. Despite this, Khosrowshahi noted that human drivers will remain essential for at least the next five to seven years due to Uber's rapid network expansion and highlighted new AI-related job opportunities in the gig economy. Uber is actively expanding its autonomous vehicle operations in partnership with Waymo and other companies, while also pitching Tesla CEO Elon Musk to integrate Tesla's robotaxis into Uber's ride-hailing platform to maximize revenue for vehicle owners. Musk has so far preferred a standalone approach for Tesla's robotaxis, but Uber remains keen on collaboration, especially as competition intensifies with Lyft's partnership with Waymo to deploy fully driverless rides in Nashville by 2026. Additionally, Uber and Tesla have found common ground in trucking through a joint initiative to accelerate electric vehicle adoption in freight operations.