# Rivian's shift from carmaker to tech supplier

> RJ Scaringe is building Rivian into a company that licenses software, AI and robotics far beyond its own vehicles.
- Title: Rivian's shift from carmaker to tech supplier · TechCrunch
- Summary: RJ Scaringe is building Rivian into a company that licenses software, AI and robotics far beyond its own vehicles. Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe is repositioning…
- Keywords: rivian, rj scaringe, electric vehicles, autonomous driving, technology licensing, mind robotics, uber partnership, volkswagen group, ai models, robotaxi, technology, startups
- Source: TechCrunch — https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/18/techcrunch-mobility-rivians-next-act
- Author: Kirsten Korosec
- Published: 2026-10-18T16:05:00+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: rivian, rj scaringe, electric vehicles, autonomous driving, technology licensing, mind robotics, uber partnership, volkswagen group, ai models, robotaxi, technology, startups
## Scaringe's vision beyond trucks
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe wants the company to be much more than an EV maker, but without straying completely from that mission. His recent moves show a shift toward technology and services.
## Vertical integration accelerates
Rivian has developed its own AI models for in-vehicle assistants and is building an end-to-end automated driving stack for passenger vehicles and future robotaxis through a partnership with Uber.
## Custom silicon and VW deal
Rivian is developing custom silicon, a five nanometre processor in collaboration with Arm and T S M C. It also has a five point eight billion dollar joint technology venture with V W Group.
## Scaringe's startup ecosystem
Scaringe created a micromobility skunkworks program that spun out into a startup called Also. He also founded industrial robotics startup Mind Robotics, now thirty-one percent owned by Rivian.
## Doug Field joins Mind Robotics
Former Ford, Apple and Tesla executive Doug Field has been hired as president of Mind Robotics, which counts Rivian as a prospective customer for its industrial robots.
## Licensing ambitions expand
Scaringe talked of expanding the joint venture with V W to cover A I and autonomy, and licensing Rivian's technology to many different brands beyond the automaker itself.
## The tech supplier model
Rivian is clearing a path toward licensing its electric architecture, software, A I models and autonomy stack. Mind Robotics builds industrial robots for Rivian factories and other companies.
## Robotaxi as growth vector
A successful robotaxi launch with Uber could open the door to more deals. Scaringe is imagining how autonomy could reshape Rivian's own vehicle designs and experiences.
## Autonomous vehicle design
Scaringe said autonomy opens design opportunities beyond R two and R three models. It can create dramatically different experiences for personally owned autonomous vehicles.

> It can create dramatically different experiences
## Scaringe's decade-long vision
Scaringe expressed excitement about the next ten years in transportation. Autonomy enables new dreams and thinking about what vehicles and mobility could become.

> I'm wildly excited about what the next 10 years look like in transportation because of what this enables us to dream and think about.
## Rivian by decade's end
By the end of the decade, Rivian will be far more than a maker of electric trucks and S U Vs. The company is positioning itself as a technology supplier to the broader automotive industry.
## Key takeaway

Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe is repositioning the company as a technology supplier, licensing its electric architecture, software, AI models and autonomy stack to other brands while building robotics and robotaxi businesses.