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No. Foxconn has described expanding automation, but the available evidence does not show that it plans to replace all human workers with robots. In May 2025, chairman Young Liu said the company had tried to replace every person in a process and quickly found it could not. A widely reported figure of 80% concerns a limited category of equipment setup or related problem-solving work—not 80% of Foxconn’s workforce.
What Foxconn has actually said about automation
Foxconn, formally Hon Hai Technology Group, has publicly described automation as an ongoing way to improve manufacturing—not as a plan to eliminate its entire human workforce. In its August 2024 earnings-call transcript, the company said it would continue increasing automation, robot use, and automation coverage to improve production speed, precision, and flexibility. It named automated guided vehicles and robot arms as examples used on production lines.
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That is evidence of a continuing automation effort. It does not specify that every production task can be automated, that all workers will be removed, or that a complete replacement has a deadline.
What the 80% figure means—and what it does not
The figure comes from The Register’s May 20, 2025 report on Liu’s remarks at COMPUTEX 2025. The report attributes an 80% figure to equipment setup for a new production run or related manufacturing problem-solving. Liu said the harder remaining tasks still required skilled human workers.
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- It is a task-level figure: it describes a limited category of setup or related work.
- It is not a workforce statistic: it does not mean 80% of Foxconn employees, factory jobs, or Apple assembly workers will lose their jobs.
- It is not an all-factory estimate: the report does not establish that the same share applies across Foxconn facilities or tasks.
The report does not provide a Foxconn-wide count or percentage of workers displaced by the initiative. The task figure cannot be used to calculate one.
Why Liu’s comments do not announce total replacement
The Register reported Liu’s admission: “We thought maybe we could replace every human,” he said. “We quickly realized we could not.” The remark describes an attempt and its limits, rather than a declaration that Foxconn has achieved or scheduled full replacement.
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Liu also said, “Generative AI and robotics will fill the void,” referring to low-GDP work as countries become more prosperous, according to the same report. That is a broad prediction about the role of AI and robotics in work; it is not a dated timetable for replacing people at Foxconn or in Apple manufacturing.
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What Foxconn’s named AI and robotics projects show
AI for production processes
In its November 2024 earnings-call transcript, Foxconn described a generative AI initiative with BCG covering production parameters, equipment management, and quality inspection. It also discussed work with Intrinsic on a robot application management platform. These are specific manufacturing applications, not an announcement that all human roles will disappear.
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Robots made for another company
In May 2025, Foxconn announced a manufacturing partnership with Robust.AI to scale production of the Carter collaborative robotics platform. That shows Foxconn is involved in making robotics for another company. It does not establish a plan to remove every person from Apple production.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What this means for Apple manufacturing workers
Foxconn is an important Apple supplier, but evidence of automation at Foxconn should not be stretched into a claim about every Apple factory, iPhone assembly line, or supplier. The company’s public statements establish a direction toward more automation and particular AI and robotics projects; they do not quantify job losses from those efforts or set out a complete replacement plan.
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Apple’s supplier responsibility page describes worker-feedback and workplace-rights programs. It provides context on supplier-worker practices, but does not corroborate a claim that Foxconn intends to replace all workers with robots.
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How to read the claim
| Claim or evidence | What it establishes | What it does not establish |
|---|---|---|
| Foxconn’s August 2024 earnings-call statement | The company intends to keep expanding automation and robot use, citing automated guided vehicles and robot arms. | A plan or timetable for eliminating all human workers. |
| Foxconn’s November 2024 earnings-call statement | Named AI and robotics work involving BCG and Intrinsic. | That every manufacturing role can or will be automated. |
| Liu’s COMPUTEX 2025 remarks, reported by The Register | A broad view of AI and robotics, plus a task-level 80% figure and an acknowledgment that some work still needs skilled people. | That 80% of workers or jobs will be eliminated, or that full replacement has a date. |
| Robust.AI partnership announcement | Foxconn will scale production of a collaborative robotics platform. | A plan to remove all people from Apple production. |
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