FT: Kalanick's Atoms Building Robotaxi Tech, Uber Adds $100M
TL;DR
- Uber invested $100 million in Atoms as part of the $1.7 billion round led by Andreessen Horowitz in June.
- The Financial Times reports Atoms is building robotaxi technology and has held preliminary talks with Uber about running it on Uber's network.
- Atoms denies the plans, calling itself an industrial software company; Anthony Levandowski is reportedly leading the work after Atoms acquired his mining startup Pronto.
Travis Kalanick's Atoms raised $1.7 billion in June led by Andreessen Horowitz. Uber put in $100 million of it. According to the Financial Times, sources say Atoms is building robotaxi technology and has held "preliminary talks with Uber about running it on Uber's network," as TechCrunch reported summarizing the FT scoop.
Atoms denies it. The company describes itself as "an industrial software company" with "no plans to enter the saturated robotaxi market."
The hires complicate the framing. One of Atoms' first moves after the funding round was acquiring Pronto, an autonomous mining startup led by Anthony Levandowski, the engineer whose theft of Google self-driving trade secrets cost Uber close to $350 million and contributed to Kalanick's removal as chief executive. Levandowski was pardoned by Donald Trump in 2021. FT's sources say "Levandowski is leading the work" on the robotaxi effort. Atoms' CFO is Gautam Gupta, Uber's former finance chief.
Kalanick has been publicly circling the idea. At an Andreessen Horowitz event, he said: "A lot of things that would have happened at Uber over time are things we're doing now." He characterized the round as "unfinished business."
Uber is listed on Atoms' investor page as an equity partner. Neither the reporting nor Atoms' statement clarifies what the $100 million is meant to buy.
Originally reported by techcrunch.com
Read the original article →Original headline: FT: Kalanick's Atoms Is Building Robotaxi Tech, Hired Levandowski, Received $100M From Uber