Rivian spinoff Mind Robotics hires former Ford EV chief Doug Field

Mind Robotics has hired former Ford electric vehicle executive Doug Field as its president, according to an announcement at the Disrupt 2026 conference. Field will manage day-to-day operations, product development, and engineering for the industrial robotics startup, while Rivian Chief Executive RJ Scaringe remains involved. Field brings extensive automotive and technology experience to the role, having recently spent five years leading electric vehicle strategies at Ford.

He also previously headed Apple's canceled autonomous car project and oversaw Model 3 production at Tesla. The startup, which spun out of Rivian last year, is building specialized industrial robots and foundation software to automate manufacturing tasks. Unlike humanoid robots designed to mimic human movement, these machines are built for specific factory work.

Mind Robotics has raised more than $1 billion from prominent backers including Accel, Andreessen Horowitz, and Eclipse, and uses Rivian’s high-volume factories as its first customer and deployment environment. Mind Robotics is the second company Scaringe has spun out of Rivian, following micromobility venture Also. Rivian maintains a minority stake of about one-third in both independent spinoffs.