Will robots take light manufacturing operator jobs?

Threat timeline: 1-2 years for automotive assembly line tasks where the BMW playbook can be replicated. 2-4 years for broader light-industrial deployment. The economics work at scale when one Figure runs 10-hour shifts replacing a wage that compounds — automotive is the natural first market because the integrator cost is amortized across high-volume production lines.

Threat timeline: Hard to call honestly. If Tesla hits the $20K consumer price at scale, the labor displacement timeline for greenfield manufacturing collapses. If they don't — and history with Tesla's manufacturing claims suggests aggressive skepticism is warranted — Optimus becomes another well-funded humanoid pilot among many. Watch the external customer announcements in 2026-2027, not the demo videos.