Update, August 19, 2026: One staff robotics hire is not an Optimus production start. Tesla later kept slipping factory timing (Tesery: production “anticipated later this year”). Chen’s post is a personnel note.
In late November 2025 Yilun Chen posted that after almost four years at Apple he had joined Tesla’s Optimus AI team. He wrote that humanoids are “the ultimate dream of our generation” and that he was “totally blown away by the scale and sophistication of the Optimus lab.” Open Chen’s X post. Sawyer Merritt amplified it: staff robotics engineer, last four years Apple ML/robotics. LinkedIn lists Staff Robotics ML Engineer, Tesla Optimus; ex-Apple, ex-CMU. Tesla did not issue a press release. One researcher moving is not “Apple killed its robot” and not Optimus in your factory.
Key facts
- Who: Yilun Chen, announced ~Nov. 30 / Dec. 1, 2025.
- From / to: Apple robotics research (Cupertino) → Tesla Optimus AI (he named Palo Alto / the lab visit).
- What he said: Joining to work on humanoids; impressed by the lab’s scale.
- What this is not: Tesla buying Apple’s robot stack, or a production-rate announcement.
A LinkedIn move vs a product
Optimus still had public teleop tells that same month (Tesery: Miami headset-pull fall). Hiring ML people is how you try to get off the headset. It is not proof you already have.
FAQ
Did Tesla confirm the hire?
Chen did, on X and LinkedIn. Tesla PR did not need to.
Was he Apple’s robotics lead?
Coverage says research scientist / ML engineer, not Apple’s entire robot org.
Does this change FSD?
No. Different team, different product.
For owners: an Optimus lab hire does not change the car in your driveway.
Featured photo: Tesla Optimus (file photo of the program, not Chen’s lab visit). Image via Wikimedia Commons.
Related: Miami Optimus teleop fall · Later Optimus timing slip
