Mind Robotics Appoints Doug Field as President Amid Rivian Partnership
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe’s startup, Mind Robotics, has made waves by appointing Doug Field as its president, marking a significant milestone for the ambitious robotics initiative. Field previously served as VP of special projects at Apple, where he led the company’s ill-fated Project Titan, aimed at developing an autonomous electric vehicle. Before that, he was VP of Mac hardware engineering at Apple, but left in 2013 to become Tesla’s chief vehicle engineer, playing a key role in the Model 3’s development. After a brief return to Apple, he joined Ford in 2021 to head their electric vehicle and software division until earlier this year.
At Mind Robotics, Field will spearhead efforts to create “universally capable robots” intended for use in Rivian’s factories and other applications. Founded by Scaringe in 2025, the startup has successfully raised over $1 billion in funding. Although it has yet to showcase any robots publicly, the company emphasizes that its designs will incorporate the dexterity and physical reasoning necessary for industrial tasks.
“Doug is a remarkable leader with a track record of delivering new technologies in successful products, and I couldn’t be more excited to be building Mind with him,” Scaringe stated. “He has an incredible ability to foster great teams that take on big, complex ideas and deliver products that reset expectations. That’s exactly what Mind needs as we deploy robots into real factories and beyond.”
Field’s arrival comes at a pivotal moment in the robotics sector, where rapid advancements in physical AI are meeting significant challenges in hardware and software development. Companies like Tesla and Hyundai are exploring humanoid robots for factory and warehouse tasks, though experts caution that mimicking human behavior is often easier than scaling the technology for practical applications. Mind Robotics has not disclosed whether it is pursuing a humanoid design or a different approach. The company is actively hiring, with 32 positions currently open.
Scaringe, who also serves as acting CEO and chair of Mind Robotics, aims to maintain a clear distinction between the two companies, unlike Tesla’s integrated approach. However, there are notable connections; Mind Robotics is utilizing AI training data from Rivian, and its robots will be initially tested in Rivian’s factories. Additionally, Rivian holds equity in Mind Robotics and will be the first customer for its robots.
Field expressed enthusiasm for the challenges ahead in leading the new startup. “Integrating AI and robotics is one of the most important—and difficult—engineering challenges of our time,” he remarked. “Mind has assembled an exceptional team and has a unique advantage: the ability to deploy and learn inside a real, high-volume factory from day one. I’m thrilled to join RJ in building a team, culture, and technology that will redefine what we can make in America.”
Correction October 13th: Mind Robotics is a partner of Rivian, but not a spinoff. A previous version of this story misstated the relationship between the companies.
