In a move that’s classic Brett Adcock, the Figure AI supremo has just unveiled his next big bet: Hark. It’s a new venture with a staggeringly ambitious goal—to build “the world’s most advanced personal intelligence.” Adcock isn’t waiting for VC approval either; he’s bankrolling the whole thing himself, putting his money where his mouth is with a cool $100 million (£78 million) of his own cash. Coming hot on the heels of Figure’s high-stakes Translation not available (en-gb) , Hark feels like the ultimate, high-octane rebound.
The company made its debut with a sleek, minimalist teaser promising a system that doesn’t just process data, but sees, listens, speaks, and can even “touch and influence the world.” Hark’s strategy is “vertically integrated”—tech-speak for building everything from the ground up, from the foundational AI models to “bespoke native hardware devices.” Adcock’s pitch? An intelligence that shoulders your mental load by thinking like you, and ideally, staying one step ahead.
Hark has already headhunted a 45-strong squad of engineers and designers, raiding the ranks of Apple, Meta, Google, and Tesla. Most notably, they’ve bagged Abidur Chowdhury—an Apple veteran who worked on the iPhone Air—to lead the design. This “Apple-way” of marrying hardware and software suggests Hark isn’t interested in just another chatbot; they’re gunning for an entirely new computing platform.
Why does this matter?
Adcock leading both Figure and Hark at the same time is a massive flex, creating a powerful strategic synergy: Figure builds the robotic bodies, while Hark builds the digital brains. It’s a significant bet that the next leap in AI requires purpose-built hardware, not just clever software shoehorned onto our existing gadgets. While the announcement is currently high on vision and a bit light on specifics, the promise to “liberate” us from the “electronic shackles” of current tech is a compelling hook. Whether Hark delivers a genuine revolution or just a very pricey digital assistant remains to be seen, but with the first AI models slated for release this summer, we won’t have to wait long to find out.
