Mind Robotics Hires Former Ford EV Chief Doug Field as President to Scale Industrial AI Operations

Doug Field Takes Helm at Mind Robotics

Mind Robotics, Rivian's industrial AI and robotics venture, has appointed Doug Field as its new president, marking a significant leadership move for the year-old startup. The announcement came at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 in San Francisco on October 13, signaling that the company is preparing to scale its operations after securing substantial backing1

1

. Field will oversee day-to-day operations including product development, engineering, and business operations, while Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe remains involved with the venture2

2

.

Veteran EV Executive's Impressive Track Record

Field brings extensive automotive technology credentials to Mind Robotics. The former Ford EV chief spent five years at the Detroit automaker shaping electric vehicle and technology strategies, including assembling the skunkworks team developing the Universal Electric Vehicle platform2

2

. His departure from Ford in April 2026 was part of a broader leadership reorganization at the company1

1

. Before Ford, Field led Apple's Project Titan, the electric autonomous car project that was ultimately canceled in 2024. His tenure at Tesla as senior vice president of engineering proved particularly notable, where he oversaw Model 3 development and navigated the vehicle through what became known as "production hell"1

1

. Field was also employee No. 1 at Segway, demonstrating his long-standing involvement in transformative mobility technologies1

1

.

Billion-Dollar Backing for Industrial Automation Vision

Rivian's robot startup has already amassed more than $1 billion in backing from prominent investors including Accel, Andreessen Horowitz, Eclipse, Kleiner Perkins, and the venture arms of Volkswagen and Salesforce1

1

. This substantial funding positions Mind Robotics to build a full stack for industrial manufacturing, with purpose-built robots running on foundation models designed to automate industrial and manufacturing tasks at scale1

1

. The company is taking a different approach from competitors like Tesla by not attempting to replicate all human biomechanics in its robot designs. Instead, Mind Robotics is developing robots that will be "kind of humanoid" and specifically optimized for manufacturing assistance2

2

.

Strategic Alignment and Manufacturing Advantage

Scaringe revealed that he initially contacted Field seeking a recommendation for someone to lead Mind Robotics, but their conversations led to Field taking the role himself. "We found such alignment in how we thought about this from the overall mission of the business, but even more important, we found really deep alignment just in how we both work and how we build teams," Scaringe stated at TechCrunch Disrupt1

1

. Field emphasized the significance of the challenge ahead: "Integrating AI and robotics is one of the most important -- and difficult -- engineering challenges of our time," noting that Mind Robotics has "a unique advantage: the ability to deploy and learn inside a real, high-volume factory from day one"1

1

. Rivian serves as both a testing ground and the first customer for Mind Robotics, providing a live, high-volume manufacturing environment for model training and deployment1

1

.

Rivian's Expanding Venture Portfolio

Mind Robotics represents the second company Scaringe has created outside of Rivian, following Also, a micromobility venture focused on high-end e-bikes. Both operate as stand-alone companies with Rivian holding minority stakes—approximately one-third of each startup as of June 30, 20261

1

. This structure allows Scaringe to maintain strategic involvement as chairman while empowering experienced executives to handle daily operations. The appointment of Field signals Mind Robotics is moving beyond its founding phase toward commercial deployment, with the EV executive stating his goal is to "redefine what we can make in America"1

1

.