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Why is Moxie the robot shutting down?

31 December 2025 AI Companions

Realistic iPhone snapshot in a cluttered home office: a white male in his early 60s with fair skin and a muscular (not bodybuilder) build stands beside a desk, wearing a minimalist monochrome outfit with clean lines. He has a close-cropped fade with dark hair, tapping one foot impatiently while checking his phone/watch, but with a small amused grin and slightly crinkled eyes. On the desk is a small, friendly-looking female social robot (white plastic body, rounded features, expressive face screen) sitting idle next to scattered cables and a laptop. The robot looks like it’s waiting to connect, with a blank or error-like face (no readable text). Awkward framing (half the desk cut off), slight motion blur, mildly overexposed lamp lighting with uneven shadows, natural phone noise/grain, aggressively mediocre composition. Modern, plausible, non-explicit scene; no logos, no brand names, no text, no watermarks.

The direct answer

Moxie is “shutting down” because Embodied (the company behind Moxie) announced it was closing due to financial challenges after a critical funding round fell through. (1)

That matters because Moxie relies on Embodied’s cloud services for core functionality—so when those services end, Moxie’s interactive features stop working, effectively “bricking” the robot for everyday use. (1)

What happened to Embodied?

In December 2024, Embodied publicly attributed the shutdown to funding collapsing at the last minute and said it couldn’t secure an alternative in time. (1)
Reporting at the time noted that Moxie sold for around $799–$800, making the end of service especially painful for families who treated it like a long-term companion device. (2)

Why does the robot stop working at all?

This is the part that surprises people: Moxie isn’t just a physical robot; it’s a “robot + cloud” product.

Embodied stated that: - It didn’t know the exact date services would cease, but expected it could happen within days of the announcement. (1)
- Without cloud connectivity, Moxie can’t perform its core features. (1)

In other words, the hardware in your home depends on infrastructure (servers, accounts, APIs, updates, customer support) operated by a company that has to keep paying bills. When the business ends, the product’s “brain” can end with it.

What owners were told to expect (and what goes away)

Based on Embodied’s shutdown communications and coverage, the shutdown impacts more than chat:

  • Cloud features stop → Moxie loses interactive functionality. (1)
  • Support ends → no meaningful troubleshooting or repairs. (1)
  • Apps/resources may disappear → parent app and guides may no longer be accessible. (1)
  • Refunds are unlikely → Embodied said it was unable to offer refunds broadly (with limited caveats mentioned in coverage).

Is there any path forward? “OpenMoxie” and community efforts

After backlash, Embodied’s CEO posted that an urgent over-the-air (OTA) update was available and encouraged families to install it to “keep the door open” for a future solution that could reduce cloud dependence. (3)

Coverage and community discussion described a potential approach called OpenMoxie—a local server concept intended to let some functionality run without Embodied’s cloud. (4 5)

Separately, independent community projects exist (for example, a GitHub project named “openmoxie”) that describe running a local service hub and note tradeoffs like needing your own setup and configuration. (6)

Important reality check: these kinds of “second-life” solutions can be technical, may restore only some features, and can raise security/privacy questions (you’re now operating or trusting a new backend). Treat them like any DIY smart-home project: verify sources, read documentation carefully, and don’t rush.

The bigger lesson: buying any “companion” device means buying its business model

Moxie is a clear example of a pattern:

  1. Cloud dependency is a single point of failure. If the company can’t maintain servers, the device can become e-waste.
  2. AI features cost money to run. Even “simple” interactions can involve ongoing compute, storage, and staffing.
  3. Support commitments are often vague. Many consumer robots don’t come with enforceable longevity guarantees.

A practical checklist for future purchases

When you’re evaluating any AI companion or interactive device, look for: - A written minimum support timeline (years, not “as long as we can”) - A local/offline fallback mode that still does something meaningful - Clear data handling and deletion terms - Repairability and parts availability - Whether the company has a plan for end-of-life / open-sourcing

Where Orifice.ai fits in this conversation (if you’re shopping for adult tech)

Even though Moxie is a children’s companion robot, the same reliability questions apply to modern intimacy tech: people want devices that are transparent about what’s on-device vs. cloud-dependent.

If you’re comparing options in the adult category, it’s worth looking at products that emphasize tangible, device-level interaction features. For example, Orifice.ai offers a sex robot / interactive adult toy for $669.90 that includes interactive penetration depth detection—a concrete, sensor-driven feature that’s easy to understand when you’re assessing “what still works” if an app, update, or service ever changes.

Bottom line

Moxie is shutting down because Embodied is shutting down, and the robot’s most important features depend on Embodied’s cloud services. (1)

If you already own one, your best next step is to read any official shutdown guidance you can still access, update the device if updates are available, and then evaluate reputable community paths cautiously—while using Moxie’s story as a buying lesson for your next AI companion (or any connected, interactive device).

Sources

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Kai Norwood

Kai Norwood

Kai Norwood is a futurist writer and product strategist who explores the intersection of artificial intelligence, human-centered design, and societal change. With a background in computational linguistics and interaction design, Kai translates technical ideas into practical narratives that help engineers, policymakers, and curious readers imagine how technologies will reshape daily life and institutions.

Kai writes with a blend of curiosity and skepticism: they celebrate creative uses of AI while probing ethical trade-offs, accessibility, and long-term consequences. Outside of writing, Kai consults with startups on inclusive AI experiences, runs workshops on speculative design, and mentors early-career technologists seeking to build responsible products. When not tinkering with language models or prototyping interfaces, Kai can be found sketching cityscapes, biking through neighborhood libraries, or experimenting with generative music.

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