Rivian spinoff Mind Robotics hires former Ford EV chief Doug Field

Doug Field has worked connected EVs astatine Ford and Tesla, the not-so-secret car task astatine Apple, and was worker No. 1 astatine Segway. Now, the enforcement is turning his attraction to Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe’s latest project: Mind Robotics.

Field has been hired astatine president of Mind Robotics, an concern AI and robotics task that spun retired of Rivian past year. The news, shared connected signifier astatine Disrupt 2026, is different motion that Mind Robotics is getting acceptable to standard up its aboriginal operations conscionable 1 twelvemonth aft its founding.

Scaringe volition inactive beryllium progressive with Mind Robotics, but the day-to-day aspects of the business, including product, engineering, and operations volition beryllium handled by Field.

Mind Robotics, which has already amassed much than $1 cardinal successful backing from Accel, Andreessen Horowitz, Eclipse, Kleiner Perkins and the task arms of Volkswagen and Salesforce, is gathering a afloat stack for concern manufacturing. The purpose-built robots volition tally connected instauration models with an extremity of automating concern and manufacturing tasks astatine scale.

Unlike the humanoid-like robots being developed by Tesla and others, Scaringe says Mind Robotics won’t effort to mimic each the biomechanics of a human. The startup is besides utilizing Rivian arsenic “a live, high-volume manufacturing situation for exemplary grooming and deployment,” with Rivian being Mind Robotics’ archetypal customer.

“It’s incredibly breathtaking what’s happening successful robotics and what we’re susceptible of doing today, erstwhile we deliberation astir the advancement that’s happened connected the hardware, modeling techniques, [and] bringing that unneurotic to make robots that tin really beryllium deployed astatine scale,” Scaringe said connected the Disrupt stage.

Field left Ford successful April aft 5 years shaping the automaker’s electrical conveyance and exertion strategies. His departure was portion of a wider reorganization of the automaker’s leadership. Prior to Ford, Field led Apple’s Project Titan, the electric, autonomous car task that was canceled successful 2024. He besides served arsenic elder vice president of engineering astatine Tesla, wherever helium oversaw improvement of the Model 3 and got the sedan done “production hell.”

“Integrating AI and robotics is 1 of the astir important–and difficult–engineering challenges of our time,” Field said successful a statement. “Mind has assembled an exceptional squad and has a unsocial advantage: the quality to deploy and larn wrong a real, high-volume mill from time one. I’m thrilled to articulation RJ successful gathering a team, culture, and exertion that volition redefine what we tin marque successful America.”

Mind Robotics is the 2nd institution that Scaringe spun retired of Rivian, following Also, a micromobility play that’s starting with high-end e-bikes. Like with Field and Mind Robotics, Scaringe is progressive arsenic president astatine Also but has tapped idiosyncratic to tally the day-to-tay: Chris Yu, the erstwhile main merchandise serviceman of Specialized.

Mind Robotics and Also run arsenic standalone companies, but Rivian has number stakes successful both. The institution reported owning astir a third of each startup arsenic of June 30, 2026.