Mobileye Buys Mentee Robotics for $900M to Extend Automotive AI Into Humanoid Robots
Mentee Robotics was founded in 2022 with an ambitious goal of building humanoid robots capable of understanding context, intent, and the physical world in a way that feels natural to humans. Co-founded by Amnon ShashuaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, the longtime force behind Mobileye, the Israeli startup set out to extend advances in AI and autonomy beyond vehicles, focusing on robots designed to safely operate alongside people in real-world environments.
At CES 2026, that vision took a decisive turn. Mobileye announced it would acquire Mentee Robotics for $900 million in a mix of cash and stock, in a deal expected to close in the first quarter of the year. The transaction includes roughly $612 million in cash and up to 26.2 million shares of Mobileye stock. Shashua, who is chairman and a major shareholder of Mentee, recused himself from the board’s approval process. Mentee will continue operating as an independent unit within Mobileye, preserving its research-driven structure while gaining access to large-scale AI infrastructure.
Mentee’s appeal lies in its approach to humanoid robotics. Rather than treating robots as experimental systems, the company has focused on building a cost-efficient, tightly integrated hardware and software platform from the outset. Its robots are designed to operate autonomously, learn from natural human demonstrations, and adapt to new tasks with minimal data, prioritizing predictable behavior, safety, and real-world usability over constant human supervision.
For Mentee, the acquisition accelerates what is inherently a capital-intensive, long-term effort. Mobileye brings deep experience in deploying autonomy systems at scale, as well as the financial strength to support years of development. Backed by a strong automotive business and a projected $24.5 billion revenue pipeline over the next eight years, Mobileye can absorb the risk of humanoid robotics while positioning Mentee as a cornerstone of its broader push into “physical AI”—moving from intelligent vehicles toward intelligent machines that act in the physical world.
Sources:
Bloomberg
TFN
AI Business
Tech in Asia
TechCrunch
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