Startups & Funding
Travis Kalanick's Atoms might be getting into the robotaxi business
A Financial Times report says Travis Kalanick's Atoms is preparing for a hiring spree and acquisitions that could make it a major player in autonomous vehicles, months after the startup raised a $1.7 billion round.
Earlier this summer, Atoms announced the $1.7 billion round led by Andreessen Horowitz, but the Uber founder remained cagey about what he was actually aiming to do with it. The Financial Times report now offers more detail: Atoms has reportedly talked to Uber about how the ride-hailing company could use the startup’s robotaxi technology, and Uber has invested $100 million in Atoms — a figure previously confirmed by TechCrunch. Uber has already partnered with a long list of autonomous vehicle companies.
Sources emphasized that robotaxis don’t represent the entirety of Atoms’ plans, but the direction seems consistent with Kalanick’s description of the round as “unfinished business.” It also fits with Atoms’ acquisition of Pronto, an autonomous mining startup led by Uber’s former self-driving chief Anthony Levandowski, who was convicted of stealing trade secrets and sentenced to 18 months in prison before being pardoned by President Donald Trump.
Why it matters
A robotaxi push by Atoms would pit Kalanick against the industry he helped shape at Uber, this time backed by fresh mega-round capital and an existing Uber investment relationship rather than a ride-hailing network of his own.