01What happened

The story, straight

Hyundai Motor Group will purchase SoftBank's remaining 9.65% stake in Boston Dynamics for $325 million, giving the South Korean automaker full ownership of the Waltham, Massachusetts-based robotics company. The board is expected to approve the deal on June 22. Hyundai originally acquired an 80% stake in Boston Dynamics in 2021 for roughly $880 million, valuing the company at approximately $1.1 billion. SoftBank had purchased Boston Dynamics from Alphabet in 2017 after Google acquired the robotics lab in 2013.

hyundai's buying softbank's last 9.65% stake in boston dynamics for $325M, which makes the robotics company a wholly owned hyundai subsidiary. board vote expected june 22. hyundai originally paid ~$880M for an 80% stake back in 2021 at a ~$1.1B valuation. softbank picked it up from alphabet in 2017, google grabbed it in 2013 — this thing's been passed around.

02Spread timeline

Where it actually started

2013Origin
Google acquires Boston Dynamics.google picks up boston dynamics
source
2017
SoftBank acquires Boston Dynamics from Alphabet.softbank buys it from alphabet
source
2021
Hyundai buys 80% stake in Boston Dynamics for ~$880M at ~$1.1B valuation.hyundai grabs 80% for ~$880M, company valued at ~$1.1B
source
Jun 22, 2026 (expected)
Board expected to approve $325M purchase of SoftBank's remaining 9.65% stake.hyundai board votes on buying the last 9.65% for $325M
source

03Source receipts

Every claim, linked

04What's solid, what isn't

What's solid and what isn't

Confirmed
  • Hyundai is purchasing SoftBank's remaining 9.65% stake in Boston Dynamics for $325 million.
  • The Hyundai Motor Group board is expected to approve the deal on June 22.
  • Hyundai originally acquired an 80% stake in 2021 for approximately $880 million.
  • Boston Dynamics was valued at roughly $1.1 billion in the 2021 transaction.
Disputed
  • The exact strategic plans Hyundai has for Boston Dynamics robotics in its manufacturing operations.

05Why it matters

The editorial take

The deal closes out a messy decade of corporate ownership for Boston Dynamics, one of the few robotics companies with humanoid machines actually deployed in factory settings. Full Hyundai control signals the automaker is betting on integrating advanced robotics into its manufacturing and logistics operations, not treating the acquisition as a portfolio experiment.

boston dynamics has been a hot potato since google bought it in 2013. hyundai now fully owns one of the only robotics companies with humanoid bots doing actual factory work. that's not a side bet — that's an automaker going all in on robots on the assembly line.