About 300 Boston Dynamics employees signed a petition urging the company to cancel a $1.3 million sale of its Spot robot dogs to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the company has said it is standing by the deal. WBUR obtained the petition, which workers sent to company leaders in early September, WBUR reported.
Nearly half of the signatures were entered as “Anonymous,” according to a company spokesperson. Boston Dynamics employs more than 1,500 people.
What ICE is buying
The contract covers four modified Spot robots and related technology, and it runs through a Connecticut company, Radeco, not directly with Boston Dynamics. The Boston Globe reported that each unit costs about $326,000 fully equipped and carries add-ons such as a robotic arm, a thermal camera and sensors for explosives. Documents reviewed by Straight Arrow News show the robots are headed to ICE’s Office of Firearms and Tactical Programs, and that ICE bought them without seeking competing bids.
What employees say
The petition says the sale hurts the company’s image and makes it look as if Boston Dynamics works directly with ICE, an agency the workers say has spread fear across the country. Employees warned the deal could push staff to quit or discourage new hires, and said the company’s public-facing teams have received concerned emails. Activists from the De-Ice Action Network have also protested outside the company’s Waltham headquarters.
What the company says
Interim CEO Amanda McMaster told employees in a letter that the company considered the petition and will keep the sale in place. Boston Dynamics says the robots carry sensors for chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive hazards, and that any suggestion they will support detentions or deportations is false. Its terms prohibit using the robots for harm or intimidation, and it led a 2022 open letter in which six robotics companies pledged not to weaponize their machines.
Why it matters
The dispute shows how immigration enforcement is reaching into tech workplaces. Boston Dynamics is owned by Hyundai and recently received $25 million in state support for a Waltham expansion. For ICE’s own recent figures, see our report on gang-related arrests.
The reports reviewed do not say whether more employees plan to leave or whether the company will change the contract.
