Mind Robotics has hired former Ford EV chief Doug Field as president. The industrial AI and robotics venture spun out of Rivian last year. The hiring was announced on stage at Disrupt 2026. The appointment is another sign that Mind Robotics is preparing to expand early operations just one year after founding.
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe will remain involved with Mind Robotics. Field will handle the day-to-day business, including product, engineering and operations. Mind Robotics has amassed more than $1 billion in backing from Accel, Andreessen Horowitz, Eclipse, Kleiner Perkins and the venture arms of Volkswagen and Salesforce.
Mind Robotics is building a complete technology stack for industrial manufacturing. The purpose-built robots will run on foundation models, with the goal of automating industrial and manufacturing tasks at scale. Scaringe said Mind Robotics will not attempt to mimic all human biomechanics, unlike the humanoid-like robots being developed by Tesla and others. Mind Robotics is using Rivian as a live, high-volume manufacturing environment for model training and deployment. Rivian is Mind Robotics' first customer.
Scaringe said progress in hardware and modeling techniques makes it exciting to develop robots that can be deployed at scale. Field said integrating AI and robotics is one of the most important and difficult engineering challenges of the current era. Field said Mind Robotics has an exceptional team and a unique advantage: deployment and learning inside a real, high-volume factory from day one. Field said Field was excited to join Scaringe in building a team, culture and technology that will redefine what can be made in America.
Field left Ford in April after five years shaping Ford's electric vehicle and technology strategies. Field's departure was part of a wider leadership reorganization at Ford. Before Ford, Field led Apple's Project Titan, an electric, autonomous car project canceled in 2024. Field also served as Tesla's senior vice president of engineering, overseeing Model 3 development and guiding the sedan through production difficulties. Field was employee No. 1 at Segway.
Mind Robotics is the second company Scaringe spun out of Rivian, following Also, a micromobility company starting with high-end electric bicycles. Scaringe serves as Also's chairman and selected Chris Yu, the former chief product officer of Specialized, to run Also's day-to-day business. Mind Robotics and Also operate as standalone companies, but Rivian holds minority stakes in both. Rivian reported owning about a third of each startup as of June 30, 2026.
Mind Robotics Hires Former Ford EV Chief Doug Field as President
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Summary
Mind Robotics has hired Doug Field, ex-Ford EV chief, as president, according to AI + crypto news sources. The company, which split from Rivian in 2025, revealed the appointment at Disrupt 2026. Field will lead product, engineering, and operations. Mind Robotics has secured over $1 billion in funding and is building a full tech stack for industrial automation. Crypto news outlets highlight the strategic move as the firm expands its industrial AI and robotics focus.
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