Former Tesla Optimus lead Milan Kovac joins Hyundai Motor Group

Milan Kovac, a former Tesla AI and Optimus humanoid robot lead, has been appointed as an adviser to Hyundai Motor Group. The company also plans to name him an outside director at its U.S. subsidiary, Boston Dynamics. This move aims to boost Hyundai’s efforts in robotics development and commercialization.

Kovac’s career at Tesla spanned nearly a decade, starting in 2016 as an engineer on the core Autopilot team. He later led parts of the Autopilot development from 2019 to 2022, helping create a system that relied on in-house semiconductors and camera-based vision analysis.

In early 2022, Kovac shifted to build and lead the Optimus humanoid robot program. At the time, the project was basic, using just a few robotic arms. Under his guidance, the team developed both hardware and software from scratch. He was promoted to vice president in 2024 after successful factory tests.

In June 2025, Kovac announced his resignation from Tesla. In a personal post on X, he said the decision was personal, and he wants to spend more time with his family abroad.

Tesla Optimus Robot

He stressed that this was the only reason for leaving and reaffirmed his strong support for Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk. Elon Musk responded to Kovac’s announcement, thanking him for his outstanding contributions over the decade and wishing him well with his family.

Before Tesla, Kovac worked at Sony and SoftKinetic. He holds a degree in electrical engineering from HELB-INRACI in Belgium. At Hyundai Motor Group, Kovac will focus on advancing robotics through AI integration. Hyundai wants to speed up the commercialization of Boston Dynamics’ innovations, such as the quadruped robot Spot, the logistics robot Stretch, and the humanoid Atlas.

Hyundai aims to improve global competitiveness in AI-robotics convergence, applying these technologies to mobility, manufacturing, logistics, and services.

Kovac described Boston Dynamics as an iconic company that inspires technologists and is part of America’s robotics ecosystem. He believes Hyundai’s solid industrial base will help it lead the sector.

This appointment aligns with Hyundai’s strategy to recruit global talent and build creativity-driven competitiveness, as outlined by Executive Chair Euisun Chung. Recent hires include Dr. Park Min-woo from Tesla and Nvidia, now heading the Advanced Vehicle Platform Division.

With Milan Kovac joining hands with Hyundai Motor Group, it shows the importance of growing experienced talent acquisition in AI and robotics, which continues to grow.

(source)