Doug Field appointed president of Rivian’s Mind Robotics venture

New leadership for Mind Robotics Rivian’s robotics subsidiary, Mind Robotics, confirmed that Doug Field will serve as its president. Field, who previously led electric‑vehicle and software efforts at Ford, also has experience at Tesla, where he oversaw development of the Model 3, and at Apple, where he headed the company’s secretive autonomous‑car initiative. Prior to these roles, he was the first employee at Segway.

Announcement and background The appointment was revealed on the main stage of TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, the three‑day conference held in San Francisco from 13 to 15 October. Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe, who founded Mind Robotics a year earlier, said he will remain involved with the venture but will delegate day‑to‑day responsibilities for product, engineering and operations to Field.

Mind Robotics’ focus and backing Mind Robotics is positioned as a full‑stack provider of industrial‑manufacturing automation. The company is developing purpose‑built robots that run on large‑scale foundation models, aiming to automate a wide range of factory tasks. Unlike the humanoid designs pursued by some competitors, Mind Robotics does not intend to replicate human biomechanics.

The startup has attracted more than $1 billion in investment from a consortium that includes Accel, Andreessen Horowitz, Eclipse, Kleiner Perkins, as well as the venture arms of Volkswagen and Salesforce. Rivian itself serves as the first customer, offering a high‑volume manufacturing environment for training and deploying the robots.

Industry context Field’s move to Mind Robotics is seen as a significant coup for the venture, given his track record across major automotive and technology firms. The Verge highlighted his role at Apple as the de facto head of the company’s Project Titan, an autonomous‑vehicle effort that ultimately did not reach production. His combined experience in EV development, software integration and robotics is expected to accelerate Mind Robotics’ scaling plans.

Outlook With Field at the helm, Mind Robotics aims to expand its early operations and bring its AI‑driven manufacturing solutions to market. The partnership with Rivian provides a real‑world testing ground, while the substantial venture backing signals confidence in the company’s long‑term potential within the industrial AI sector.