Doug Field has joined industrial AI startup Mind Robotics as president, taking charge of daily operations, product development, and engineering following his departure from Ford Motor Co. in April 2026. TechCrunch reported the appointment onstage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, marking a significant leadership shift for the venture that spun out of electric vehicle maker Rivian last year. Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe retains involvement as chairman but handed day-to-day oversight of the business to Field.
Mind Robotics has raised more than $1 billion in financial backing from investors including Accel, Andreessen Horowitz, Eclipse, Kleiner Perkins, and the venture arms of Volkswagen and Salesforce. The startup builds a full software and hardware stack for industrial manufacturing, relying on foundation models to automate factory tasks at scale. Unlike competitors developing humanoid machines designed to mimic human biomechanics, Mind Robotics focuses on purpose-built factory automation.
Rivian serves as the startup’s first customer, acting as a live manufacturing testbed for model training and deployment. Scaringe stated at the conference that he contacted Field to ask for executive recommendations before realizing they shared a common vision for building engineering teams and deploying industrial automation.
Field spent five years shaping electric vehicle and technology strategies at Ford before leaving during a corporate leadership reorganization. Prior to his tenure at Ford, he led Apple’s canceled autonomous vehicle initiative, known as Project Titan, and served as senior vice president of engineering at Tesla during the production ramp-up of the Model 3 sedan.
Integrating AI and robotics is one of the most important — and difficult — engineering challenges of our time,
Field said in a statement. 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.
Rivian Spun Out Mind Robotics and Micromobility Venture Also
Mind Robotics represents the second independent company spun out of Rivian under Scaringe’s leadership, following micromobility venture Also, which focuses on high-end electric bikes. Former Specialized chief product officer Chris Yu runs Also on a day-to-day basis, while Scaringe maintains an active role as chairman. Both startups operate as standalone corporate entities, though Rivian retained minority ownership stakes of approximately one-third in each venture as of June 30, 2026, according to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
Mind Robotics is building an AI-driven automation platform designed to perform factory tasks that require fine motor skills, adaptability and judgment. https://t.co/8FVI3osGUu
Frequently Asked Questions About Mind Robotics
Who funded Mind Robotics?
The industrial AI startup has secured over $1 billion in total backing from venture capital firms Accel, Andreessen Horowitz, Eclipse, and Kleiner Perkins, alongside corporate venture arms from Volkswagen and Salesforce.
What is Rivian’s ownership stake in Mind Robotics?
Rivian reported owning roughly one-third of the startup as of June 30, 2026, according to official regulatory filings.
How does Mind Robotics differ from humanoid robot developers?
Instead of attempting to replicate human biomechanics like Tesla and other competitors, Mind Robotics designs purpose-built industrial automation systems powered by foundation models.
Worth a look