Robotics

Rivian Startup Mind Robotics Hires Former Ford EV Chief

Mind Robotics has appointed former Ford electric vehicle and technology chief Doug Field as its new president to oversee product, engineering, and daily operations.

Radwan AbdulhadiEditor and technology writer

Published: October 14, 2026 · Updated: October 14, 2026 · 3 min read

Rivian Startup Mind Robotics Hires Former Ford EV Chief — Image: TechCrunch

Leadership Transition at Mind Robotics

Doug Field has joined Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe's industrial AI and robotics venture, Mind Robotics, as its new president. The high-profile appointment brings an experienced automotive and technology executive into the leadership fold of the industrial automation startup.

While Scaringe remains involved with the venture, Field will handle day-to-day aspects of the business, including engineering, product development, and overall operations. The announcement was made onstage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, marking a significant milestone as the startup prepares to scale up early operations just a year after its founding.

An Impressive Industry Background

Before taking the helm at Mind Robotics, Doug Field built a diverse and extensive career across several prominent technology and automotive organizations. He was employee No. 1 at Segway, worked on electric vehicles at Tesla, and led Apple's electric, autonomous car initiative before leaving Ford.

At Tesla, Field served as senior vice president of engineering, overseeing the development of the Model 3 and guiding the sedan through intense production challenges. More recently, he spent five years shaping the electric vehicle and technology strategies at Ford before departing the automaker as part of a wider leadership reorganization.

Funding and Industrial Manufacturing Approach

Mind Robotics is building a full software and hardware stack for industrial manufacturing. The purpose-built robots are designed to run on foundation models with the ultimate goal of automating industrial and manufacturing tasks efficiently at scale.

The industrial startup has already secured major financial support from Accel, Andreessen Horowitz, Eclipse, Kleiner Perkins, and the venture capital arms of Volkswagen and Salesforce. Unlike the humanoid robots developed by Tesla and other competitors, Scaringe has emphasized that Mind Robotics will not attempt to copy all the biomechanics of a human.

Real-World Deployment and Corporate Structure

A key advantage for Mind Robotics is its relationship with its parent company and first customer. The startup utilizes Rivian as a live, high-volume manufacturing environment dedicated to model training and deployment.

Mind Robotics operates as a stand-alone company alongside Also, another venture created outside of Rivian that focuses on high-end e-bikes. Although both companies operate independently, Rivian retained minority stakes, reporting ownership of roughly a third of each startup.