Robots, Rockets, and Air Taxis w/ BLADE CEO (Rob Wiesenthal)

The Rich Habits Radar covers a busy week in markets and technology, anchored by three major developments: a humanoid robotics company going public, merger rumors swirling around Tesla and SpaceX, and Apple raising device prices due to surging memory chip costs. The episode also includes a deep interview with Rob Wiesenthal, CEO of Blade (now a Joby Aviation company), who explains how his company built the infrastructure and customer base for urban air mobility years before the electric aircraft were ready.

Agility Robotics Goes Public

Agility Robotics, the company behind the humanoid robot Digit, announced it is going public via a SPAC merger at a $2.5 billion valuation under the ticker AGLT. Digit is a two-legged, two-armed robot designed to move and stack heavy containers in warehouses — the kind of repetitive, backbreaking work that burns people out. This is not a concept: Digit is already working on factory floors at Amazon, logistics firm GXO, auto parts maker Shaeffler, and Toyota in Canada. The deal is being led by SPAC veteran Michael Klein and brings in over $600 million in cash, with a lead investor putting in over $200 million — the company that assembles iPhones. The hosts caution that SPACs have a poor track record from the 2020-2021 boom, with only a handful like Hims, Rocket Lab, DraftKings, and SoFi surviving. Their advice: "When a brand new industry shows