Mobileye CEO Amnon Shashua Talks Humanoid Robots

Summary

Bloomberg Talks: Mobileye CEO Amnon Shashua Talks Humanoid Robots

Date: January 7, 2026
Host: Bloomberg (Caroline and Ed)
Guest: Amnon Shashua, CEO of Mobileye

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Episode Overview

This episode features a conversation with Amnon Shashua, CEO of Mobileye, focusing on Mobileye’s $900 million acquisition of Mentee Robotics and the company’s strategic move into humanoid robots. Shashua discusses the technological and business rationale behind the deal, addresses questions about potential conflicts of interest, and provides insight into Mobileye’s ongoing innovations in both robotics and autonomous driving.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Mobileye’s Acquisition of Mentee Robotics

Timestamp: 00:02–01:37

• Mobileye has announced a major deal to acquire Mentee Robotics for $900 million in combined cash and shares, expected to close in Q1 2026.
• Shashua positions the acquisition as a natural extension for Mobileye, an AI company rooted in autonomous driving and computer vision, to move into the broader field of “physical AI.”

Quote:

"Humanoid robotics has been recognized in the past two or three years as a complementary domain... From a technological point of view, if you are an actor in this area of physical AI, you want to then extend it to the full scope of physicality."
— Amnon Shashua (00:41)

• Shashua argues this move is not just about seeking new growth, but leveraging deep synergies in AI, software, and infrastructure between autonomous driving and robotics.

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2. Addressing Conflict of Interest Concerns

Timestamp: 01:37–02:44

• Host questions Shashua on his connections to Mentee Robotics, noting his role as a founder and his son’s employment at the company.
• Shashua explains standard practices for “related party transactions,” stressing that he recused himself from decisions, and that his son’s role is minor ("just an employee").
• He emphasizes the material issue is the strategic fit, not personal relationships.

Quote:

“There are ways to handle it, like being recused from decision, which I did... The material part is the scope of AI.”
— Amnon Shashua (01:55)

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3. The Market Opportunity & Go-to-Market Strategy for Humanoid Robots

Timestamp: 02:44–04:54

• Shashua identifies “humanoids” as a new growth engine for Mobileye, with technology moats and vast market potential (TAM).
• Go-to-market approach will unfold in two phases:
  • Phase 1 (2028 Launch):
    Focus on structured environments (warehouses, assembly plants, retail), where robots perform a finite set of known tasks.
    • Business model: Sell or lease robot fleets, with manufacturing costs targeting $20,000 per robot at volume.
    • Customization based on client needs and proof-of-concept demonstrations.
  • Phase 2:
    Target unstructured environments (home use), which require continuous learning and more advanced AI.
    • Unique “mentoring” technology: Robots passively watch humans perform tasks, upload footage to the cloud, and improve using foundation models and simulators.

Quote:

“The robot is watching, passively watching a human showing a new task... Today it's a few hours, in the future, a few minutes, goes back to the robot and the robots perform the task.”
— Amnon Shashua (04:29)

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4. Autonomous Driving Competition & Expansion

Timestamp: 04:54–06:27

• Conversation shifts to NVIDIA’s push into autonomous driving with a new integrated stack.
• Shashua assures he is “not worried” about competition, viewing it as positive for market development.
  • Mobileye is scaling up with major partners, including Volkswagen, aiming for 100,000 robotaxis over the next eight years.
  • Mobileye’s stack is described as “ironclad”—robust, cost-efficient, and already deployed in many vehicles.
  • Emphasizes cost leadership: “Mobileye chips are 1/10 the cost of competing chips.”

Quote:

“Competition, I believe, is always good. It kind of ignites the market.”
— Amnon Shashua (05:14)

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5. Major OEM Deals & Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS)

Timestamp: 06:27–07:29

• Hosts highlight a significant Mobileye deal with a US automaker to supply safety software for 9 million cars.
• Shashua expounds on the evolution of ADAS, moving from front-facing sensors to “surround ADAS” with multiple cameras and radars.
  • New system replaces multiple legacy components and adds value for manufacturers and consumers.
  • Two recent high-volume deals: Volkswagen and the US automaker (cumulatively 19 million units).

Quote:

“This is the evolution of ADAS, and it's high volume... safety functions for the next five years.”
— Amnon Shashua (06:58)

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6. Industry Rumors & The AI21 Connection

Timestamp: 07:29–08:19

• Host queries rumors about Nvidia being interested in another company linked to Shashua (“AI21”).
• Shashua downplays the media speculation and clarifies: AI21’s foundation models and agents are separate ventures, unrelated to Mobileye or Mentee Robotics.

Quote:

“I21 is working on foundation models and you know, agents has nothing to do with activity of Mobileye.”
— Amnon Shashua (08:05)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Competition:
  “Competition, I believe, is always good. It kind of ignites the market.”
  — Amnon Shashua (05:14)
• On New Market Frontiers:
  “Humanoids is becoming that click, is becoming this area where you can grow.”
  — Amnon Shashua (02:45)
• On Robotics Learning:
  “The robot is watching, passively watching a human showing a new task... Today it's a few hours, in the future, a few minutes, goes back to the robot and the robots perform the task.”
  — Amnon Shashua (04:29)
• On Related-Party Concerns:
  “There are ways to handle it like being recused from decision, which I did... the material part is the scope of AI.”
  — Amnon Shashua (01:55)

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Timeline of Important Segments

• 00:02–01:37: Announcement and rationale for acquiring Mentee Robotics.
• 01:37–02:44: Addressing related-party concerns and synergies in AI.
• 02:44–04:54: Go-to-market strategies for humanoid robots.
• 04:54–06:27: Autonomous vehicle competition, VW partnership, and cost leadership.
• 06:27–07:29: High-volume ADAS deals with OEMs.
• 07:29–08:19: Industry rumors and separation of AI21 from Mobileye’s activities.

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Tone & Flow

Shashua’s responses are candid, optimistic, and forward-looking, emphasizing both technological vision and practical business strategy. He addresses concerns directly, often with humor or humility, and is focused on the long-term potential of both autonomous vehicles and humanoid robotics.

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This episode provides unique insight into Mobileye’s next chapter—leveraging its AI heritage to shape the future of both transportation and robotics, with an eye on real-world applications and industry leadership.

Transcript

[A]

Bloomberg Audio Studios Podcasts, Radio news mobileye yesterday had a pretty key announcement. A new deal. A deal to the tune of $900 million. Combining cash mobile shares to buy Mentee Robotics and the dealers expect to be closing the first quarter of 2026. We're still in gains up 310 of a cent but we're significantly off of our highs. As the market digests what this deal really means, we've got the perfect person to be asking what it means. Amnon Shashu has here with us Mobile CEO. It is wonderful to have some time with you sir.

[B]

Wonderful to be with you Caroline and Ed.

[A]

Why is it right for you to go from autonomous driving into the world of robotics?

[B]

But Mobiley is an AI company in the field of autonomous driving. Driving assist, the full spectrum of computer vision and AI to control cars and humanoid robotics has been recognized in the past two or three years as a complementary domain. And mobileye wants to it's not only another growth engine in but from a technological point of view, if you are an actor in this area of physical AI, you want to then extend it to the full scope of physically. And I believe that robotics, humanoids, they have a great future now maybe it's a long term play that's not, you know, a year from now. But I believe it has a significant, exciting future. And for Mobileye there's synergetic areas in, in infrastructure, in AI, in software, in AI Tal. So from mobilize this this is a great move.

[A]

I mean of course in many ways we would say you think that because you helped found Mentee, your son's work at Mentee help me get comfortable with that. Because many have thrown such accusations Elon Musk's way sometimes previous acquisitions and not liked it.

[B]

Well it's called the related party transaction has been done in the past and will be done in the future. And there are ways to, to handle it like being recused from decision, which I did and so forth. And you know, has a 0.00001%. He's just an employee so it's not a big deal. You know, he graduated from computer science and he wanted to do some, some work and go work for a company that is very, very strong in AI, working on the future of physical AI. So it makes sense. But you know that is really immaterial. The material part is the scope of AI, you know, physically includes humanoids, includes autonomous driving and it makes sense. Mobile over the years was always looking for a new growth engine.

[C]

Right.

[B]

For example, take computer vision and apply it maybe to security areas in cameras and so forth, but we never found something that really clicked, found something that has significant moats, that has a significant tam and humanoids is, is becoming that click is becoming this area where you can grow.

[C]

And I've been talking for years about, you know, mobilize existing footprint and then it's go to market in the future. What's the go to market for mente?

[B]

Well, we see the go to market in two phases. The first phase is structured environments like warehouses, assembly plans, retail, where the number of tasks are finite, are also understood in advance. What are the tasks that the customer is interested? A customer will buy a fleet of robots, not just one robot and you can customize per, per customer that I think based on POCs that the mentee has been doing. If you look at demonstration that I've been showing, like robots picking boxes, moving them from place to place, you essentially.

[C]

Just sell the hardware.

[B]

A seller robot either sell or lease a robot. We believe that the manufacturing cost in a reasonable volume of tens of thousands of robots would be $20,000. So this gives a lot of flexibility in a business model. So this is phase one. We believe it will start in 2028. Phase two is unstructured environments like home use that is much more complicated because the tasks are it. You need to continuously learn. So it's not that you can prepare yourself to all the possible tasks in a home, in a home use. So you need new technology. So it's not the same technology you use for structured environments. And this is one of the things that I showed in my keynote, a technology that mentee, and this is why mentee is called Mentee from mentoring. The robot is watching, passively watching a human showing a new task. And the video goes up to the cloud. In the cloud, there's a foundation model that takes the video, moves it into a simulator, trains over the simulator. Today it's few hours, in the future, a few minutes goes back to the robot and the robots perform the task.

[C]

Let's go back to your core business Amnon. This week Nvidia showed us a full stack solution for autonomous driving. You know, they make arguments that their software and hardware competencies will make them win. Your evaluation of what they're offering against what you plan to do, cost per mile basis, how worried you are.

[B]

I'm not worried. Competition, I believe is always good. It kind of ignites the market. In my keynote I had Christian Zenger, the CEO of Volkswagen Autonomous Cars, chairman of Moya, come to the stage and talk about 100,000 vehicles in the next eight years. 100,000 robotaxis in the next eight years. Talked about that. We are almost there in removing the driver going driverless in Q3.

[C]

Yeah, but are they using mobile?

[B]

Yeah, of course. Ironclad. Ironclad. This is, this is mobile. There are 100 ID buzz vehicles in multip locales. All of them is mobile. Mobile stack. And we are really on the way of removing the driver and a very cost effective solution. Our sensor set is you know 10, $10,000. $12,000 compute is is very, very cost cost optimized Mobilized chips are 110 of the cost of competing chips. We developed our imaging radars which are the best on the plan. Those imaging ra very confident that we are on our way to a new growth engine with the robotaxis.

[A]

You're striking deals. We understand there's a US automaker that you struck a deal with 9 million cars for safety software.

[B]

Okay. US automaker there are three, four now pick one. But, but I think that this 9 million units is. Is. Is a big news because we're talking about the evolution of ada. So adas today is a front facing camera. Maybe you have a front facing radar. This 9 million units is called surround ADAS. You are taking a front facing camera for parking cameras, multiple radars. A very strong value proposition to. To the customer and it replaces multiple issues in the car. Replaces the ECU for parking. ACO for driving monitoring system, hands free driving on on. On highways safety functions for the next five years. So this is the evolution of AD and it's high volume. We have two customers in the past year, Volkswagen and this US customer. 19 million units.

[C]

This is big 21. We're hearing that Nvidia Mr. Huang is quite interested in another one of your companies. He's here this week. What can you tell us about how talks are going? Did you manage to speak to Jensen while here?

[B]

You know, the Israeli press is not as tight as the US press. I don't believe anything you read in the Israeli press.

[C]

So no talks with Nvidia?

[B]

No, that talks. I talked to Nvidia, talks with others, but no, it's nothing even close to talking about it in the press.

[A]

How do you think Mobileye investors would feel about an acquisition of AI21 by another player?

[B]

It has nothing to do. I21 is is working on foundation models and you know, agents has nothing to do with activity of Mobileye. Activity of mentee. Mobileye is physically busy man.

[C]

You're a busy man and a busy man for the time here at cbs Las Vegas. I'm on Shashua Mobile. CEO, thank you very much.