Rivian's CEO RJ Scaringe to detail the company's AI-driven future at Disrupt 2026

Rivian's CEO RJ Scaringe is set to take the stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 to discuss the company's ambitious plans for AI, autonomy, and robotics.

Building a company that designs, manufactures, and delivers hardware at scale is a challenging task, but Rivian's CEO RJ Scaringe has spent the better part of two decades proving that it's not impossible. With Rivian sitting at the intersection of AI, software, robotics, manufacturing, and transportation, Scaringe has laid out a roadmap to full Level 4 autonomy by 2028 and is building out Rivian's own charging network with ambitions to become one of the largest in the U.S.

"Maybe the most important thing we've launched to date" is the R2, a roughly $58,000 SUV that Scaringe is counting on to expand Rivian beyond the niche market. He's also expanding beyond vehicles, with a focus on addressing an anticipated shortage in human labor by turning Rivian's factory floor in Normal, Illinois, into a proving ground for more ingrained human and robotic coexistence on the assembly line.

• Rivian has raised significant funding for its robotics arm, Mind Robotics, which has raised $900 million this year alone.
• Scaringe will discuss how all of these investments fit together and what he's learned about building in the physical world and then bringing AI into the fold, while many AI companies try to accomplish the inverse.

Attend Disrupt 2026 to hear Scaringe's vision for Rivian's future and learn from his experiences in building a company that sits at the intersection of AI, software, robotics, manufacturing, and transportation.