Mind Robotics, the industrial robotics startup that Rivian chief executive RJ Scaringe spun out of the carmaker, said on 13 October 2026 that it has appointed Doug Field as President [1]. TechCrunch reported that the news was shared on stage at its Disrupt 2026 conference in San Francisco [1].
What Field will do
According to TechCrunch, Scaringe will stay involved with Mind Robotics, but Field will handle the day-to-day running of the business, including product, engineering and operations [1]. The Verge describes Scaringe as the company’s acting chief executive and chair [2].
Who Doug Field is
Field is one of the best-known engineering leaders in the car industry. He most recently led Ford’s electric vehicle, digital and design work, and left the company earlier this year, TechCrunch reported [1]. Before that he led Apple’s special projects work, which included its now-cancelled car effort, and he earlier ran Mac hardware engineering at Apple, according to The Verge [2]. At Tesla he was senior vice president of engineering and oversaw development of the Model 3 [1].
What Mind Robotics is building
Mind Robotics says it is building “universally capable robots” for industrial work, as quoted by The Verge [2]. TechCrunch reported that the robots will run on AI foundation models, with the aim of automating factory tasks at scale, and that Scaringe has said they will not try to copy every movement of the human body [1].
Rivian is the company’s first customer and launch partner. Mind Robotics says Rivian gives it “a live, high-volume manufacturing environment for model training and deployment”, as quoted by TechCrunch [1]. In plain terms, the robots can learn and be tested inside a working car factory rather than a lab.
What Field said
“Integrating AI and robotics is one of the most important—and difficult—engineering challenges of our time,” Field said in a statement carried by TechCrunch and The Verge. “Mind has assembled an exceptional team and has a unique advantage: the ability to deploy and learn inside a real, high-volume factory from day one. I’m thrilled to join RJ in building a team, culture, and technology that will redefine what we can make in America.” [1][2]
Money and ownership
TechCrunch reported that Mind Robotics has already raised more than $1 billion in backing from Accel, Andreessen Horowitz, Eclipse, Kleiner Perkins and the venture arms of Volkswagen and Salesforce [1]. Mind Robotics did not give funding figures in its announcement.
Mind Robotics runs as a standalone company, but Rivian holds a minority stake. According to TechCrunch, Rivian reported owning about a third of the startup as of 30 June 2026 [1].
What this means
- A heavyweight hire for a young company. Mind Robotics is about a year old and has not shown its robots in public, but it now has a president who has shipped cars at Tesla and Ford.
- The factory is the advantage. Training robots inside Rivian’s real production lines is the startup’s main pitch, and Field’s quote leans on it.
- The money figures come from reporting. The $1 billion-plus total and Rivian’s one-third stake come from TechCrunch, not from the company’s announcement.
Sources
- TechCrunch (Kirsten Korosec, Sean O’Kane), “Rivian spinoff Mind Robotics hires former Ford EV chief Doug Field”, 13 October 2026. https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/13/rivian-spinoff-mind-robotics-hires-former-ford-ev-chief-doug-field/
- The Verge (Andrew J. Hawkins), “Rivian spinoff Mind Robotics hires Doug Field as president”, 13 October 2026. https://www.theverge.com/transportation/1010050/rivian-mind-robotics-hires-doug-field-ford-tesla-apple
- Mind Robotics, announcement via Business Wire, 13 October 2026. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261013522589/en/
