Venture capitalist Nabeel Hyatt says training robots will reshape the future of work

Nabeel Hyatt, a prominent venture capitalist known for his investments in transformative technology, is at the forefront of a significant shift in the workforce landscape. As a general partner at Spark Capital, Hyatt has been instrumental in supporting groundbreaking companies like Discord and Cruise, which have fundamentally changed online interactions and autonomous driving. Currently serving on the board of Instawork, a platform dedicated to gig work, Hyatt is witnessing a pivotal transformation within the company. Under CEO Sumir Meghani's leadership, Instawork has initiated a robotics division and is developing an innovative data-collection device called Instacore. This technology aims to tackle what some researchers have termed the “100,000-year problem” of sourcing adequate training data for robotic systems. In an exclusive interview, Hyatt discussed the necessity for diverse and comprehensive data in robotics. He emphasized that robotics companies are striving to create models that function effectively in real-world environments, which are inherently chaotic and varied. "Kitchens, for instance, differ significantly in layout and operation," Hyatt explained. "The method of cutting an onion in a New York hotel kitchen might not align with practices in a Houston catering facility. There is no standardized definition of what constitutes 'good' video data, and various companies have their unique requirements. While OpenAI may seek one type of data, Boston Dynamics may focus on entirely different needs." Looking ahead, Hyatt foresees a dual impact on gig work platforms due to the rise of robotics. "In the short term, robots will create more jobs for humans rather than eliminate them," he stated. Tasks such as mapping out restaurant layouts for delivery bots or training staff to work alongside robots will still require human input. Long-term, while some roles may become automated, the pattern indicates that jobs will evolve instead of disappearing. Hyatt recalled the early discussions surrounding Instawork's robotics push, which began to materialize in earnest in late 2025. The atmosphere shifted significantly during a November board meeting, highlighting a newfound urgency and commitment to robotics. When asked about Instawork's transition from software to hardware, Hyatt expressed confidence in the company’s strategy. "This isn’t a sudden pivot to becoming a hardware company; they are leveraging their unique position as a labor marketplace to meet the demands of the robotics industry," he said. Instawork’s infrastructure allows for rapid deployment of human workers who can gather essential data in real-world settings. The ultimate vision for Instawork is to create a seamless integration of human and robotic labor. Hyatt described it as a future where a restaurant chain deploying robots would receive assistance from certified workers, effectively blending human skills with robotic efficiency. Instawork’s advantage lies not just in its technology but in its established relationships with millions of workers, enabling it to adapt and respond to emerging job categories that did not exist just a couple of years ago.