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Humanoid industrial robot are on display at the humanoid robot data training center in Shougang Park on March 27, 2025 in Beijing, China. VCG | China News Service | Getty Images

PARK CITY, Utah — Rivian Automotive CEO RJ Scaringe envisions a day in the not-so-distant future when the electric vehicle maker's manufacturing employees will have a new type of colleague: humanoid robots. "There's going to be thousands of people that are collaborating alongside these robots. They're going to be taking pictures, 'Hey, check this out! My co-worker's name is Phil, and he's a robot,'" Scaringe said during a media event for the launch of the Rivian R2 EV. The 43-year-old automotive enthusiast and tech entrepreneur started a robotics company last year called Mind Robotics. The company has raised more than $1 billion, according to Scaringe. Humanoid robots are designed to be shaped and move like people. Artificial intelligence algorithms power their abilities along with complex hardware like semiconductors. Proponents say they could be used in various settings, from factories to hospitality and even in the home, while others have raised concerns about the devices replacing human jobs. Scaringe said the company expects to reveal its first product in less than a year, with Rivian as a large minority shareholder and launch customer. Mind currently has roughly 20 open positions ranging from software and hardware engineers to data architects, according to its website.

Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe, who founded Mind Robotics late last year, speaks with media on June 3, 2026 during a launch event for the R2 electric SUV in Utah. Michael Wayland / CNBC

Scaringe, who is executive chair and acting CEO of Mind, told CNBC that the plan is to keep the robotics company separate from Rivian, as opposed to the automaker partially shifting to make humanoid robots, like Tesla CEO Elon Musk is doing with his company. "We have a deep relationship, and that was actually how we structured it," Scaringe said during an interview. "A big part of structuring the business was to allow me to be able to spend time on both." The robotics strategy adds to a narrative of Scaringe doing things differently than Musk, despite obvious similarities in their companies. There have been enough comparisons that Rivian has even been called the "anti-Tesla" and Scaringe has been referred to as the "anti-Elon." "I'd say there's a lot of alignment there, and I think that's because, obviously, I'm biased, but I think they're right ... that autonomy is a super important technology," Scaringe said about Tesla and Rivian. "But in terms of the products, they, in many ways, couldn't be more different." So far Rivian and Mind are assisting each other, though, much like Musk's companies have also done during developmental phases. That includes Musk's xAI company merging with SpaceX before the company's record-setting initial public offering on Friday as well as SpaceX purchasing vehicles from Tesla. Scaringe said Rivian will be a "huge beneficiary" of Mind, which is using data from Rivian for training its AI models. Along with Rivian's equity stake, the automaker will be Mind's first customer for the robots. "We realized it was such a big opportunity that deserved to be its own company," said Scaringe. He said he believes there is a multitrillion-dollar total addressable market for industrial labor.

A Tesla Optimus robot hands out candy in front of the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York, US, on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty Images