#255 – Jim Liefer | Ambi Robotics - Real-World Robotics and the Future of Logistics Warehouse Automation

Building Better with Brandon Bartneck

In the world of logistics, automation is no longer a future concept—it’s happening now. But rolling out robotics in high-volume warehouse environments isn’t as simple as plugging in a machine and walking away.

In this episode of Building Better, Brandon sits down with Jim Liefer, CEO of Ambi Robotics, to talk about what it actually takes to build and deploy robotics solutions that work at scale. With more than 35 years of operational leadership experience at companies like UPS, Walmart, and Kindred AI, Jim brings a pragmatic lens to the promise and complexity of AI-driven automation.

They dig into the challenges of stacking, sorting, labor dynamics, and change management—and what it looks like to lead with humility while driving real impact.

About Jim Liefer:
Jim is the CEO of Ambi Robotics, where he’s responsible for leading the company’s vision and operations. He previously served as CEO of Kindred AI, COO of One Kings Lane, VP of Operations at Walmart.com, and VP of Technology at UPS. Throughout his career, Jim has focused on scaling systems, reducing cost-to-serve, and empowering frontline teams with better tools and processes.

About Ambi Robotics:
Ambi Robotics is an AI and robotics company developing advanced automation systems for ecommerce and logistics. The company’s solutions—including AmbiSort and AmbiStack—leverage simulation-to-reality (Sim2Real) technology and advanced AI foundation models to perform high-speed sorting and stacking in warehouse environments. Founded in 2018 and based in Berkeley, California, Ambi Robotics helps customers scale fulfillment operations while empowering human workers.

About Building Better:
Building Better with Brandon Bartnick focuses on the people, products, and companies creating a better tomorrow, often in the transportation and manufacturing sectors. The show features real conversations about what leaders are doing, why and how they’re doing it, and what we can learn from their experiences.

Key Takeaways:

• Ambi Robotics is solving real-world logistics challenges with robotics that work at scale

• Trust and change management are essential to successful automation rollouts

• Automation isn’t about replacing humans—it’s about removing repetitive tasks and letting people focus on higher value work

• AI and machine learning enable robots to adapt to dynamic warehouse environments

• Sustainable success depends on low cost to serve and solving specific problems

Links & Resources:

• Company Website: ambirobotics.com

• AmbiSort: ambirobotics.com/ambisort-a-series

• AmbiStack: ambirobotics.com/ambistack

• LinkedIn: Ambi Robotics

• Show Notes: brandonbartneck.com/buildingbetter/jimliefer

Listen to the Episode:

• Apple Podcasts

• Spotify