Travis Kalanick, founder of Uber, has launched a new robotics company named Atoms. According to its website, Atoms will operate in the food, mining, and transportation industries.
Atoms: Structure and Core Technology
Kalanick is incorporating his existing ghost kitchen company, CloudKitchens, into Atoms. The Atoms website indicates the company will develop a “wheelbase for robots.”
In a live interview, Kalanick clarified that Atoms will apply this technology to “specialized robots,” emphasizing industrial-scale applications rather than humanoids.
Industrial Expansion and Mining Initiatives
A significant move for Atoms is the imminent acquisition of Pronto, an autonomous vehicle startup focused on industrial and mining sites. Pronto was founded by Anthony Levandowski, a former Uber colleague.
Kalanick stated he is already Pronto’s largest investor and identified industrial applications as a primary focus for Atoms.
Kalanick's Broader Transportation Vision
Kalanick has expressed a long-term interest in physical world movement, though not immediately for human transport with Atoms robots. Reports previously indicated Kalanick's return to self-driving vehicles, with aspirations for aggressive deployment of the technology. Past discussions regarding Kalanick's interest in acquiring the U.S. operations of Chinese self-driving company Pony AI have concluded.
Background: Kalanick and Uber's Self-Driving Program
Kalanick resigned from Uber in 2017 following various company challenges. In 2015, he established a self-driving division at Uber, recruiting Anthony Levandowski. This project led to a lawsuit from Google concerning stolen secrets, which was subsequently settled. Levandowski later faced criminal charges for his involvement, receiving a presidential pardon.
Uber's self-driving program continued after Kalanick's departure, including after a fatal incident in 2018, before being sold to autonomous trucking company Aurora in 2020 by his successor, Dara Khosrowshahi.
In a March 2025 interview, Kalanick expressed regret regarding Uber's decision to cease developing its own self-driving vehicles.