Brett Adcock is betting on two radically different technologies to reshape how humans work and move: humanoid robots that do household labor, and electric aircraft that fly passengers through cities. As founder and CEO of Figure AI, Adcock has pulled what he describes as "10 years of the future forward" in robotics. Yet he remains deeply invested in Archer Aviation, the eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) company he co-founded, which is now navigating a critical inflection point between investor doubt and government confidence .

Why Is Archer Aviation Facing Investor Skepticism Despite Government Support?

Archer Aviation's stock has become a tale of two markets. While the company has secured significant government backing, investor confidence has wavered, creating what analysts describe as a potential undervaluation opportunity . The disconnect reflects a broader challenge in the eVTOL sector: the gap between technological promise and operational reality. Archer's Midnight aircraft, designed around a proprietary 12-tilt-6 distributed electric propulsion platform, carries four passengers plus a pilot and is purpose-built for air taxi operations. Yet the path from prototype to commercial service remains uncertain, with some analysts questioning whether the company has finalized its aircraft design and maintained consistent testing schedules .

The government's backing, however, signals confidence in Archer's ability to deliver. This support comes at a moment when the company is transitioning from concept demonstrations to actual operational testing. Analyst firms like Needham maintain a "Buy" rating on Archer stock, noting that "bullish scenarios for FY26 are easily visible, with Archer controlling their own destiny as they begin flying the latest version of their Midnight aircraft" . The implication is clear: if Archer successfully moves from testing to commercial operations, the market may be severely undervaluing its future growth potential in the rapidly expanding eVTOL sector.

How Does Adcock's Robotics Vision Connect to the Future of Urban Air Mobility?

Adcock's parallel pursuits reveal a strategic insight often overlooked in tech coverage: humanoid robots and flying taxis address complementary labor challenges. In his interview with the Shawn Ryan Show, Adcock explained the complexity of building general-purpose robots that can safely operate in human environments. The same engineering rigor required to make a robot safe around children in a home applies to making aircraft safe in crowded urban airspace .

Adcock stated that "there's still a lot of work to get this thing to a point where we trust it to be autonomous next to my kids all day long in my house. That's the kind of trust you need for one in your house." This philosophy of trust-first engineering extends to aviation. Both robotics and eVTOL require solving similar problems: autonomous operation in unpredictable environments, fail-safe mechanisms, and the ability to make split-second decisions without human intervention .

Adcock

What Safety Challenges Must Archer and Other eVTOL Makers Overcome?

The safety requirements for commercial eVTOL operations are staggering. Unlike ground-based robotics, aircraft operate in three-dimensional space where errors can have catastrophic consequences. Archer's Midnight must navigate urban environments, manage battery power across 150-mile ranges (as competitors like Joby's S4 demonstrate), and maintain reliability standards that exceed those of traditional helicopters .

Adcock's robotics work illuminates the depth of this challenge. When discussing Figure AI's safety strategy, he outlined both intrinsic and semantic safety measures:

• Intrinsic Safety: Hardware design that is inherently safe around humans, preventing mechanical failures from causing harm even if software fails
• Semantic Safety: AI systems that understand context, such as avoiding knocking over a candle or boiling pot of water, requiring deep environmental awareness
• Autonomous Reliability: The ability to operate without human oversight for extended periods while maintaining perfect safety records, a standard that aviation regulators demand

For eVTOL aircraft, these principles translate into redundant propulsion systems, advanced collision avoidance, battery management systems that prevent thermal runaway, and AI pilots that can handle edge cases humans might encounter only once in a thousand flights .

Steps to Understanding Archer's Path to Commercial Operations

• Transition Flight Testing: Archer is moving from ground tests to transition flights, where the Midnight shifts from vertical takeoff mode to forward flight, a critical milestone that demonstrates the aircraft's core functionality
• eIPP Program Participation: The company is engaged in the eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP), a government-backed initiative that provides regulatory pathways and operational validation for commercial air taxi services
• Design Finalization and Certification: Completing the aircraft design and obtaining airworthiness certification from aviation authorities, a process that typically takes years and requires demonstrating safety across thousands of test hours
• Manufacturing Scale-Up: Building production capacity to manufacture aircraft at volumes that make commercial air taxi services economically viable, requiring investment in factories and supply chains

Adcock's experience building multiple companies suggests he understands the difference between innovation and execution. Figure AI has raised billions in venture capital, and Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in AI in 2024 . Yet his willingness to remain involved with Archer, despite its current challenges, indicates confidence that the eVTOL market will eventually reward companies that solve the safety and operational puzzles first .

The broader context matters here. The global eVTOL market is projected to expand at a 36.8% compound annual growth rate from 2026 to 2034, suggesting massive long-term opportunity . Archer's government backing positions it as a serious contender, even as skeptical investors wait for proof of concept. Adcock's dual focus on robotics and aviation suggests he sees both as part of a larger transformation in how humans delegate dangerous, repetitive, or physically demanding work to machines. Whether Archer becomes the Tesla of air taxis or a cautionary tale of overpromise remains an open question, but the company's government support and Adcock's continued involvement suggest the story is far from over.