--- title: "Startup Upset After Journalist Points Out How Creepy Its Humanoid Robots’s Hands Are" description: "A vice president of robotics startup 1X was not happy with some coverage of the company's decidedly sensual humanoid robot." date: "2026-07-14" modified: "2026-07-14" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins" url: "https://futurism.com/robots-and-machines/robot-startup-upset-journalist-creepy-hands" categories: - "Robotics" - "Robots and Machines" --- # Startup Upset After Journalist Points Out How Creepy Its Humanoid Robots’s Hands Are ![A photo illustration of 1X's Neo robot with an older man wrapping his arm around it's next.]() *Illustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins / Futurism. Source: 1x / Shutterstock* The VP of a humanoid robotics company was in for a surprise after finding that a [*Wired* article]() pointed out something extremely unsettling about the company's robot fingers. Last week, *Wired* [published a pie]()ce on Norwegian-American startup 1X and its Neo humanoid robot with an otherwise uncontroversial thesis: Though the marketing around Neo is decidedly carnal, its hands are impressive, matching and in some ways exceeding the dexterity of a human's. During the latter half of the article, *Wired*'s Boone Ashworth noted a distinctly sensual pattern emerging in the company's marketing materials: "smooth jazz plays in the background of a soft, warmly lit video. The robo digits curl around a wine glass, turn off a light, unzip a jacket, and gently fondle some grapes." "Not to kink shame, but this is a strange strategy for selling a robot that can also become a portal for human operators to peer into and interact with the things in your home," Ashworth wrote, referring to the fact that the Neo will have remote [human operators]() to start. As reviews go, it's far from the harshest critique of a robot ever written — and [we]() [should]() [know]() — but 1X vice president of product and design Dar Sleeper still took Ashworth's comments personally. Responding to the piece [on X-formerly-Twitter](), Sleeper lashed out at the author, using him as an example to lecture other tech journalists on what *not* to do. "I gave *Wired* the exclusive on our hands launch, and they wrote a really weird article about how we are sexualizing robotics," Sleeper wrote, displaying a remarkable amount of entitlement right out of the gate. "I felt pretty betrayed because that's not what they told me they were writing about not is that what I've ever been about... but I've come to find a lot of dishonesty and malice in the journalism community so I wasn't surprised." Continuing, Sleeper says he sent the following email to the *Wired* writer: "It was nice talking to you, but I wanted to let you know that I didn't enjoy your article at all." https://twitter.com/radbackwards/status/2076022605434515726?s=20 "I understand the need to be inflammatory because that seems to be the only thing that gets clicks these days but that doesn't mean you shouldn't recognize when something special is in front of you," Sleeper carried on. "I trusted our PR team in saying we should offer you the exclusive on what is one of the most important technological developments in the history of Mankind and I deeply regret it." "Good luck with the rest of your writing career," he added. Clearly, 1X had something very different in mind with being featured in *Wired*, a highly reputable tech publication with decades of history. Sleeper's comments highlight how the company was hoping to control the narrative. If anything, the executive's protest suggests that the "sexualization" of humanoid robots is an ongoing source of frustration for the company. "This post makes it sound like the entire article is about the robot trying to make love to you," tech journalist Joshua Topolsky [tweeted](), referring to Sleeper's comments. "In fact, it's roughly two paragraphs commenting on the marketing of the robot and the privacy issues of the Neo's human control mode, where a person is remotely operating the bot, potentially inside your house and potentially in very private moments." "I appreciate that the founder embraces journalism and expected a certain framing, but this post kind of exaggerates a rather positive and mild take on his product into something it's not," Topolsky added. "If you want journalists to engage with your work, you must expect them to see things you might have missed. This seems to be one of those cases." **More on robotics:** *[Korean Workers Vote to Go On Strike, Fearing Robots Could Replace Them]()* ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()