Who is the biggest investor in Rivian?

You’ve likely seen them: those futuristic, quiet delivery vans with the Amazon smile on the side. They’re becoming a common sight on our streets, but their story is the biggest clue to answering a multi-billion dollar question: Who is the biggest investor in Rivian?

Building an entirely new car company from scratch takes billions of dollars, and the story behind Rivian’s funding isn’t a simple bank loan. It’s a strategic deal with a household name that needed to solve a massive problem: how to deliver millions of packages a day without a huge carbon footprint. The details of the Rivian and Amazon partnership reveal a fascinating win-win that goes far beyond a simple investment.

The answer, as you might have guessed, is Amazon. By investing billions, Amazon didn’t just become a major owner of RIVN stock; it secured an exclusive partner to build 100,000 custom electric delivery vehicles. In practice, this means the most powerful evidence of Rivian’s biggest backer isn’t found in a financial report—it’s driving right past your house.

So, Who Is Rivian’s Biggest Backer? The Answer Is Hiding in Your Shopping Cart

The single biggest investor in Rivian is a name you use almost every day: Amazon. The e-commerce giant isn’t just a customer; it’s a massive financial backer. By pouring billions into the EV maker over the years, Amazon has secured a huge equity stake—a technical term for owning a piece of a company. Amazon’s ownership of about 17% of Rivian means they own a very significant slice of the entire pie.

This kind of investment is worlds away from an individual buying a few shares of stock. Amazon is what’s known as an institutional investor, meaning a large organization that invests huge sums of money. To put it in perspective, it’s the difference between buying a single LEGO brick versus buying the entire LEGO factory. These are strategic, multi-billion-dollar moves that are meant to shape the future of both companies involved.

With such a massive stake, this relationship is about more than just a simple financial return. So, why would an online shopping behemoth pour so much capital into a startup car company? The answer lies in a shared vision for the future of delivery.

Why Did Amazon Pour Billions into a Startup Car Company?

This wasn’t just Amazon hoping for a good return on its money. The investment was the foundation of a strategic partnership, a powerful deal where each company got something it desperately needed. For Amazon, the problem was huge and very public: how to deliver millions of packages a day without a massive carbon footprint? The answer was a custom-built electric vehicle, and the partnership with Rivian was the key to making it a reality.

In 2019, Amazon co-founded The Climate Pledge, a bold commitment to be net-zero carbon by 2040. A huge part of that goal involved electrifying its massive delivery fleet. The problem? The large-scale electric van Amazon envisioned didn’t exist yet. Instead of waiting for one to appear on the market, the company decided to help build it from the ground up by investing directly in Rivian.

For a startup like Rivian, this partnership was a golden ticket. In exchange for its technology, Rivian secured a landmark order for 100,000 custom electric delivery vans—one of the largest EV orders in history. This wasn’t just a sale; it was a guaranteed revenue stream and a massive vote of confidence that provided the stability needed to scale its factories and prove its concept to the world.

Ultimately, the partnership perfectly solved a critical problem for both sides. Amazon secured a supply for its future fleet of green delivery vehicles, and Rivian secured the funding and flagship customer it needed to get off the ground. The result is what you see on the streets today. But while Amazon is the biggest name on the list, it wasn’t the only major company to bet big on Rivian’s vision.

Who Else Is on the Rivian Major Shareholders List?

While Amazon is the headliner, it’s far from the only big player with a stake in Rivian. A look at the company’s major shareholders list reveals different types of investors with entirely different goals. For instance, one of the largest holders is T. Rowe Price, a massive investment firm you might know from retirement funds. They are a classic financial investor—they aren’t partnering to build cars. They’re investing with the belief that Rivian will be a long-term winner, hoping to make a profit for their clients.

Another fascinating chapter in Rivian’s story involves Ford. The iconic automaker was an early, enthusiastic backer, investing hundreds of millions before Rivian even went public. However, as Ford ramped up its own EV ambitions with the Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning, its priorities shifted. It began a process of divestment, a corporate term for selling off most of its shares. This move wasn’t a sign of failure but a strategic decision for Ford to focus its resources on its own electric future.

Then there are other strategic partners like Cox Automotive. You might not know the name, but you know their brands, like Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book. Cox invested in Rivian to get an inside track on servicing, reselling, and managing the lifecycle of these new-age electric vehicles—a partnership that could become very valuable as more Rivians hit the used-car market.

When looking at who owns Rivian, it helps to see them in a few groups:

• Strategic Partners: Companies like Amazon and Cox, who invest to gain a product or service advantage.

• Financial Institutions: Firms like T. Rowe Price that invest purely for a potential financial return.

• Early Backers: Companies like Ford that provided crucial early support, even if they later sold their stake.

These corporate giants are only part of the story. What about the person who started it all?

What About Rivian’s Founder? How Much Does RJ Scaringe Own?

With all this talk of corporate giants, it’s easy to forget about the person who started it all: Founder and CEO RJ Scaringe. While he is one of Rivian’s most important individual shareholders, his actual ownership stake is surprisingly small—just a couple of percent. So if he owns a much smaller slice of the company than Amazon, how does he maintain control over the company he built from the ground up?

The answer lies in a common but powerful tool for modern founders: dual-class shares. This structure means not all stock is created equal. While a regular share held by a typical investor might get one vote in major company decisions, Scaringe holds a special class of stock that gives him 10 votes per share. This “super-voting” power means his influence is dramatically amplified, ensuring the founder’s original vision continues to guide the company, even with deep-pocketed partners on board.

This structure creates a crucial balance of power. Investors like Amazon provide the immense capital and guaranteed business a young car company needs to survive and scale. At the same time, Scaringe’s amplified control acts as a steering wheel, ensuring the company doesn’t lose its innovative edge or stray from its long-term mission. It’s a setup designed to pair the financial muscle of a giant with the focused vision of a founder.

How Does Rivian’s Backing Compare to a Competitor Like Lucid?

Rivian isn’t the only new EV company turning heads. Its main competitor, Lucid Motors, also required billions to get its sleek electric sedans on the road. But while Rivian partnered with a familiar retail giant, Lucid took a very different path to secure its funding, giving us a fascinating glimpse into the high-stakes world of automotive startups.

Instead of a corporate partner, Lucid’s biggest backer is Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF). This is a sovereign wealth fund—essentially a massive investment portfolio owned by a country. Unlike Rivian’s deal with Amazon, which was tied to producing delivery vans, a sovereign wealth fund’s goal is primarily financial. It uses a nation’s wealth to invest in companies it believes will deliver huge returns.

This contrast reveals the different high-stakes strategies in the EV world. Rivian chose a strategic partnership that came with a built-in customer. Lucid, on the other hand, opted for pure financial firepower from a national fund that can write enormous checks. Both are valid ways to raise billions, but Rivian’s deep ties to one company raise an important question.

Is Having One Giant Investor a Good or Bad Thing for Rivian?

Having a giant like Amazon in your corner is a massive advantage, especially for a new car company. Think of it like a new bakery opening with a pre-order for 100,000 wedding cakes. That single order guarantees revenue and helps pay for the ovens, staff, and flour for years. Amazon’s order for 100,000 electric vans did the same for Rivian, providing incredible stability and proving to the world they had a serious, paying customer from day one.

But there’s a flip side to relying so heavily on one partner. In the business world, this is known as customer concentration risk—the financial equivalent of putting all your eggs in one basket. If your single biggest customer ever changes its mind, reduces its order, or faces its own business troubles, it can create a huge problem for your company. For Rivian, the question always lingers: What happens if Amazon’s needs change?

This is exactly why Rivian’s long-term health depends on not just being “the Amazon van company.” Its goal is to branch out, selling its popular R1T trucks and R1S SUVs to as many individual drivers as possible. At the same time, it’s working to sell its commercial vans to other businesses, ensuring that its success isn’t tied to a single partner. The Amazon deal was the perfect launchpad, but Rivian’s future will be measured by its ability to fly on its own.

The Partnership That Defines Rivian’s Future

Following the money behind Rivian doesn’t just reveal ownership—it uncovers the company’s entire game plan. The massive Amazon stake is more than an investment; it’s a brilliant, high-stakes deal born from mutual need. Amazon required 100,000 custom electric vans to meet its climate goals, and Rivian needed a colossal first order to justify its existence. This relationship is both Rivian’s foundational strength and a critical dependency it must manage for its future.

So the next time you see a quiet Amazon van zip by or a sleek Rivian truck at a stoplight, you’ll know the billion-dollar story of strategy and necessity that put it on the road. You won’t just see a vehicle; you’ll see the partnership that’s shaping the future of delivery.