A leading Chinese humanoid robot company has posted a compensation package worth up to 124 million yuan (approximately 27.2 billion won, or $19 million) to recruit a top research chief, highlighting the intensifying global battle for talent as embodied AI emerges as a state-backed strategic industry in China and global tech giants including Tesla enter the race.
UBTech, one of China's flagship humanoid robotics firms, is conducting a worldwide search for a chief research officer to oversee its embodied AI division, Chinese state-run media Global Times reported Friday. The proposed annual compensation ranges from 15 million yuan (approximately 3.2 billion won) to a maximum of 124 million yuan, to be paid as a package combining cash and company equity.
If a deal is reached at the top end, the figure would be roughly 55 times the 2.5 million yuan annual salary of Wang Xingxing, founder and CEO of rival Chinese robotics firm Unitree. Global Times noted the package is on par with compensation offered to top research leads at the world's leading tech companies such as Meta and OpenAI.
"This is the ceiling for professional salaries. The top research chief we are looking for must be a true game-changer who can transform the humanoid robot industry," UBTech said on its official social media accounts. A company official added that the new hire "will determine UBTech's technology roadmap in humanoid intelligence and embodied AI."
The incoming chief research officer will lead core R&D divisions spanning robot foundation models, vision-language-action models, and manipulation and fine-motor learning. The role will place the recruit at the forefront of large-scale projects applying cutting-edge embodied AI technologies to smart manufacturing plants and household robot markets.
UBTech is simultaneously running a global open recruitment drive for reinforcement learning algorithm engineers, senior hardware engineers, mechanical engineers, and other key development personnel, in addition to the chief research officer position.
Founded in 2012, UBTech successfully listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in December 2023, earning the title of the first publicly listed humanoid robotics company.
The company's growth trajectory has been steep. According to earnings data released on May 31, UBTech's 2025 revenue rose 53.3% year-on-year to 2.01 billion yuan (approximately 440.6 billion won). Full-body embodied AI humanoids accounted for 41% of total revenue, establishing themselves as the core revenue driver. Gross profit from the robotics segment surged 1,568.1% to 448 million yuan (approximately 98.2 billion won), driving overall gross margin improvement.
R&D investment has also been aggressive. The company poured more than 500 million yuan (approximately 109.6 billion won) into research and development last year, equivalent to 25.4% of total revenue. UBTech currently holds approximately 3,000 patents, including around 1,700 invention patents.
Global Times assessed that this large-scale talent recruitment comes at a critical juncture for achieving new technological breakthroughs in China's humanoid industry. Wang Peng, an associate researcher at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, said, "With technical challenges still remaining in core algorithms and precision manipulation, recruiting top-tier talent can determine the technology direction, shorten development cycles, and significantly reduce trial-and-error costs."
*149 KAIST professors have received recruitment emails from China offering annual salaries of 400 million won.*