Travis Kalanick’s Atoms might be getting into the robotaxi business

摘要: In Brief

9:45 AM PDT · September 6, 2026

Image Credits:

Zak Bennett/Bloomberg / Getty Images

Anthony Ha

Travis Kalanick’s Atoms might be

正文

In Brief

9:45 AM PDT · September 6, 2026

Image Credits:

Zak Bennett/Bloomberg / Getty Images

Anthony Ha

Travis Kalanick’s Atoms might be getting into the robotaxi business

Earlier this summer, Travis Kalanick’s Atoms announced

a $1.7 billion funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz

. But even after raising that mega round, the Uber founder remained a bit cagey about what he was actually aiming to do.

a story in the Financial Times

offers more details about Atoms’ goals. The startup is reportedly preparing for a hiring spree, as well as acquisitions, that could make it a major player in the autonomous vehicle industry.

In fact, the FT said Atoms has talked to Uber about how the ride-hailing company could use the startup’s robotaxi technology. (Uber has already

partnered with a long list of autonomous vehicle companies

.) The report also noted that Uber has invested $100 million in Atoms — a figure previously

confirmed by TechCrunch

.

While sources emphasized that robotaxis don’t represent the entirety of Atoms’ plans, this 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. (Levandowski was convicted of stealing trade secrets and

sentenced to 18 months in prison

, but was then pardoned by President Donald Trump.)

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