Former ByteDance robotics head Kong Tao leads Xiaomi’s robotics foundation-model team; the broader division has approximately 200 employees.

Multiple independent sources reportedly confirmed that Kong Tao, formerly the head of ByteDance’s robotics team, had joined Xiaomi. He now leads Xiaomi’s robotics foundation-model team and reportedly joined during the summer of 2025.

Kong brought several former ByteDance employees with him, according to people familiar with the matter. After joining, he held individual discussions with many Xiaomi employees to assess the robotics team’s capabilities relative to the industry.

Xiaomi’s broader robotics division has approximately 200 employees. Its research covers robot bodies, lower-level motion control described as the “cerebellum,” higher-level intelligence described as the “brain,” and robot operating systems.

Different groups inside the division also conduct preliminary research on overlapping areas, including world models. A person close to the organization said Kong’s foundation-model team works from a separate office, while the broader robotics division is maintained under a high level of internal confidentiality.