TikTok robot star Rizzbot gave me the middle finger

Summary

A couple of Thursdays ago, I awoke at nearly 4:30 a.m. to a dizzying Instagram DM. Rizzbot, a popular humanoid robot with more than 1 million TikTok followers and more than half a million followers on Instagram, had sent me a photo: he was flipping me off. No words. No explanation. Just a robot with its middle finger raised. Although I was shocked, a sinking feeling meant that I could guess why. A few weeks ago, Rizzbot — or the person who runs the account — and I chatted about a possible story. I found the account interesting: a humanoid walking the streets of Austin wearing Nike dunks and a cowboy hat. It’s known for roasting, but also flirting and having a good time. The name Rizz comes from the Gen Z slang word rizz for charisma. I was intrigued by the rising popularity of the account. People are usually uncomfortable with humanoids. There are privacy concerns and job displacement fears. Online, people sling slurs at them, most notably calling them “clankers.” In the robotics world, meanwhile, experts are debating what they will be best suited to do. I saw Rizzbot as a role model making people feel comfortable interacting with a humanoid. Rizzbot agreed to an interview, so I started reaching out to experts to discuss the future of humanoids in preparation for a story. Two weeks after my initial DM with Rizzbot, I told it I would finally send it some interview questions on the following Monday or Tuesday. Techcrunch event San Francisco | October 27-29, 2025 But life happened, and I missed my own deadline. I was finally prepared to send the questions first thing Thursday a.m., and I thought, No big deal. Too late. In the wee hours that night, Rizzbot sent that photo. Message clear: You broke your word, so eff off. I didn’t give up. I apologized to the robot (or to its human?) for the delay and promised I would send the questions first thing during office hours. But when I tried a few hours later, I was met with “user not found.” The robot had blocked me. Did I tri...