Amazon has hired the founders of robotics startup Covariant—Pieter Abbeel, Peter Chen, and Rocky Duan—along with about a quarter of the company's employees. The tech giant also secured a non-exclusive license to use Covariant's robotic foundation models, which are designed to enhance robotic performance in warehouse tasks like bin picking. This move is similar to Amazon's hiring of AI startup Adept's founders earlier this year, a strategy described as a "reverse acquihire," allowing Amazon to integrate new technology without a full acquisition amid antitrust scrutiny. Covariant will continue to operate independently under new leadership, focusing on deploying its AI solutions across various industries