Travis Kalanick's Atoms eyes robotaxi push after $1.7bn round
Travis Kalanick's startup Atoms raised a $1.7 billion funding round earlier this summer, led by Andreessen Horowitz, but the Uber founder stayed vague about what the money was actually for. A new Financial Times report, relayed by TechCrunch, fills in some of the gap: Atoms is reportedly preparing for a hiring spree and a run of acquisitions that could turn it into a major player in the autonomous vehicle industry. According to the FT, Atoms has talked to Uber about how Uber could use Atoms' robotaxi technology. Uber has already partnered with a long list of other autonomous vehicle companies, and TechCrunch had previously confirmed that Uber has put $100 million into Atoms. Sources told the FT that robotaxis are not the whole of Atoms' plan, which lines up with how Kalanick has described the round: as "unfinished business." The robotaxi angle also fits a move Atoms has already made: acquiring Pronto, an autonomous mining startup led by Anthony Levandowski, Uber's former self-driving chief. Levandowski was convicted of stealing trade secrets and sentenced to 18 months in prison, then pardoned by President Donald Trump.
Key facts
- Atoms, Travis Kalanick's startup, raised a $1.7 billion round led by Andreessen Horowitz earlier this summer.
- The Financial Times reports Atoms is preparing a hiring spree and acquisitions that could make it a major autonomous vehicle player.
- Atoms has talked to Uber about Uber using its robotaxi technology; Uber has already invested $100 million in Atoms.
- Atoms previously acquired Pronto, an autonomous mining startup led by Anthony Levandowski, Uber's former self-driving chief.
- Levandowski was convicted of stealing trade secrets and sentenced to 18 months in prison before being pardoned by President Trump.
Why it matters
Kalanick built Uber, the company that arguably created the ride-hailing category, and then got pushed out of it. Atoms, backed by one of the largest single checks of the year from Andreessen Horowitz, is his second act, and the FT's report is the first real sketch of where that $1.7 billion is going: not just autonomous mining or logistics, but a direct move into robotaxis, the segment Uber itself depends on for its long-term driverless strategy.
Who it affects
Uber, which has already put $100 million into Atoms and now appears to be discussing a technology relationship with it, on top of the long list of autonomous vehicle partners it already works with. It also affects Anthony Levandowski, whose mining startup Pronto is now part of Atoms and whose past conviction for stealing trade secrets, followed by a presidential pardon, is back in the frame as Atoms expands.
How to use it
There is no product, price or release here yet. The reporting describes plans, hiring and acquisition activity, and conversations, not a launched service. Anyone tracking the robotaxi market should treat Atoms as a company to watch rather than one to evaluate today.
How solid is it
The story rests on a Financial Times report relayed by TechCrunch, with the $100 million Uber-Atoms figure independently confirmed by TechCrunch itself in earlier reporting. The Pronto acquisition and the $1.7 billion round are established facts; the hiring spree, the acquisition plans and the substance of the Uber talks are described as FT reporting based on sources, not as confirmed by Atoms or Uber directly.
Risks and caveats
No timeline, acquisition targets beyond Pronto, or terms of the Pronto deal are disclosed. Sources stress robotaxis are not Atoms' whole plan, so the extent of any robotaxi push is still unclear. Neither Atoms nor Uber is quoted confirming the talks described by the FT.
“unfinished business”
— Travis Kalanick, on his description of the funding round