A San Francisco robot startup, already embroiled in a local controversy over an Airbnb rental, is now facing a class action lawsuit from former workers who say the company failed to pay them.
Former contract workers are suing the Bot Company, also known as Botco, and multiple contract agencies for allegedly unpaid overtime wages, reimbursements of expenses, allegedly not providing work-free lunches and breaks, and termination pay. Originally filed in San Francisco Superior Court in April, the lawsuit obtained class action status on June 29, with three more former Botco workers signing on to a new complaint.
Botco is the latest venture of Kyle Vogt, the former CEO of failed robotaxi startup Cruise. The company purportedly makes robots designed to do household chores, according to the company's website, and had a valuation of $4 billion last year.
Botco and attorneys for the contracting companies named in the lawsuit did not respond to a request for comment. Attorneys for the plaintiffs also did not respond to requests for comment.
Vogt launched Botco in 2024, according to his LinkedIn, but the lawsuit alleges that the company started soliciting contract work two years before that. The lawsuit does not name any other individuals other than the four plaintiffs, but it estimates that, in California, there are "hundreds of employees who satisfy the Class definition." It also notes that factoring in employee turnover in the last four years "increases this number substantially."
No set number of damages has been established, either. Instead, the lawsuit seeks to create a recovery fund for plaintiffs to get back pay, restitution and other damages potentially owed.
The class action lawsuit comes on the heels of another San Francisco lawsuit accusing the company of causing more than $12,000 in damages after it allegedly used an Airbnb rental as a makeshift robot testing lab. Resident Sean Donovan told SFGATE in May that he saw extensive wiring set up at his Portola home, along with what appeared to be a "Roomba with treads" set up on his dining room table.
Donovan alleged in his May complaint that the group damaged furniture, family heirlooms and accessed a locked closet where personal items, now missing, were stored. Ring camera footage, reviewed by SFGATE, caught dozens of individuals coming and going from the house throughout the weekslong rental. In one video, one woman can be heard referring to his home as a work site and talking about shifts.
Three individuals associated with Botco were subpoenaed to appear in his case, but Donovan withdrew the lawsuit on July 8 before they could testify. It's not clear if any of the three still work for Botco, and two of the subpoenaed individuals have #OpenToWork labels on their LinkedIn profiles.
Work at The Bot Company and want to talk? Contact tech reporter Matthew Brown securely at [email protected] or matthewbrownsfgate.11 on Signal.
- San Francisco suing to stop allegedly 'brazen hotel booking scam'
- Newsom affair with friend's wife resurfaces amid presidential run rumors
- After KCRA producer's rope swing death, family pushes for safety
- Bay Area wildlife mystery leaves researchers 'somewhat horrified'
Sign up for SFGATE's breaking news email
This article originally published at Controversial SF robot startup faces class action lawsuit for allegedly not paying workers.