Do trading bots actually work?

Trading bots execute exactly what they're told — that part works flawlessly. Whether the instructions make money is a separate question, and the marketing around 'profitable bots' deliberately blurs the two. A bot running a mediocre strategy is a mediocre strategy with better discipline. What bots genuinely deliver: rules applied every session without emotion, resting orders that catch intraday moves you'd miss, and instant reaction at the open. What they don't deliver: an edge you didn't design in. Judge any bot claim by demanding the same evidence you'd demand of a strategy — a transparent rule set, a multi-year backtest with drawdowns shown, and a same-window buy-and-hold comparison.