Notes on the Time Economy

Tesla reportedly plans to lease Optimus rather than sell it. Why makers rent out young machines, what happened when IBM was forced to sell in 1956, and why making robots and owning them are different businesses.

Why China slowed humanoid robot IPOs after Unitree's swing and why a Boston Dynamics listing is unlikely next year, read as one test: paid work, documented, for customers outside the maker's own circle.

Munro & Associates' teardown of the Unitree G1 (planetary actuators, heat pipes on the stator, billet parts, an exposed joint) and GMO's humanoid ambulance, read as what they mean for the maintenance budget of anyone who owns working robots.

Robotics shares, robotics ETFs and owning the machines themselves compared: what you own in each case, what moves the value, where the risk sits, how liquid it is and which rules apply. Not advice, a map.

Minth Group and AgiBot opened Europe's first humanoid mass-production line in Šabac, Serbia, then announced TÜV Rheinland certification and a European distributor at IFA Berlin. What that changes for anyone who wants to own robots in Europe.

Kinetic Blocks opened a graded, priced marketplace for humanoid training data, including robot execution data. What it changes for anyone who owns the machine rather than builds it, and the contract clause to read before signing.

Gravis Robotics raised 200 million dollars from SoftBank to retrofit existing construction machines with autonomy. Why its flagship customer is a plant hire firm, and what that says about owning robots as an income-producing asset.

XPeng's robotics unit raised over 900 million dollars at a 6.3 billion valuation. Why carmakers are becoming robot manufacturers, and what that changes for anyone who wants to own the machines.

A robot foundation model now learns new tasks from a single three to twelve second demonstration. What one-shot learning does to utilisation, and why installed hardware can gain capability instead of losing it.

Loki Robotics, a Zurich startup, builds a robot that cleans public restrooms on eight-hour shifts. Why the dull machine with a payer attached is the one that matters.

A Booster T2 humanoid dances on video. What the demo proves technically, why dancing is not billable work, and what separates an impressive robot from a profitable one.

Robots as a Service is worth 32 billion dollars in 2026. What a working robot rents for per month by category, what the fee covers, and why utilisation decides the returns.

NEURA Robotics raised up to 1.4 billion dollars while average humanoid prices fell from 85,000 to 25,000 dollars in two years. What both curves mean for robots as an asset.

A humanoid robot maker is heading to the stock market at a 2.5 billion dollar valuation. What robot shares buy you, and what owning the robots themselves buys instead.

Elon Musk says paid work will become optional and money obsolete by 2036. Where he is right, where he is dangerously wrong — and the third answer: owning the robots.

The story behind beep — how a simple question about robots and value creation became a token backed by time, built on Swiss DLT law.

How Switzerland became the centre of tokenisation — quietly, thoroughly, with a law that makes the difference. A stocktaking.

Why a second is a token. The mathematical and economic decisions behind the design of the beep token — transparently explained.

Why beep is structured as a monthly subscription — and why it is the most honest way to take part in the robot economy. For the Genesis cohort, CHF 1.00 per token until year-end.

If robots take over work — what happens to the people? An honest engagement with a question rarely answered clearly.

Robots already work profitably today — in six industries simultaneously. A concrete tour through the economics running beneath the silence.

Bitcoin was a joke in 2013. NVIDIA was unknown in 2018. Tokenised robotics is underrated in 2026 — why the next investment wave begins here.

Where does an asset token belong in a private person's portfolio? A sober placement alongside shares, bonds and real estate — with sensible allocation and the risks to watch.

Asset tokens are not Bitcoin. They are digital securities with a clear legal foundation — and Switzerland has made them a serious asset class.

Amazon operates one million robots. Pudu has delivered hundreds of thousands. Seven data points show why robotics is becoming the next major asset class.

Robots are taking over billions of hours of work. The question is who will own them — and how ordinary people can share in the coming shift.

Through a new partnership with Deus Robotics, beep unlocks 80+ validated robot models and live robot data — and what that means for investors.