Rethinking Baxter: How Branding and Culture Changed the Robotics Industry

A lot of people remember the robot. Fewer remember how a word –  cobot – quietly rewired an industry. We bring together former Rethink Robotics colleagues, Ann Whittaker, Sue Sokoloski, and Mandy Dwight, to unpack the real story behind Baxter’s influence: the language that made new tech feel safe, the culture that rewarded questions over ego, and the bold moments when transparency mattered.This episode discusses the breakthrough of collaborative robots – someone named the space, taught the buyer, and showed the work. Early SEO wins on “cobot,” a disciplined ICP, and relentless field videos turned curiosity into a new category. We also own the hard parts: precision gaps in manufacturing, rushed expansions, and leadership lessons about how fast culture can fracture if you don’t protect it.If you care about robotics, branding and storytelling, or building teams that ship under pressure, this one’s for you. The conversation moves where most tech stories don’t: into people and the story behind a category defining product.