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, Uber’s founder remained a bit cautious about what he was actually aiming for.
This article in the Financial Times explains Atoms’ goals in more detail. The startup is reportedly gearing up for job growth as well as an acquisition that could make it a major player in the self-driving car industry.
In fact, the FT reported that Atoms was in talks with Uber about how the ride-hailing company could leverage the company’s robotaxi technology. (Uber already partners with a number of self-driving car companies.) The report also notes that Uber is investing $100 million in Atoms, a figure previously confirmed by TechCrunch.
Officials emphasized that robotaxis don’t represent all of Atoms’ plans, but this direction appears to be consistent with Kalanick’s description of the round as “unfinished business.”
This also coincides with Atoms’ acquisition of Pronto, a self-driving mining startup led by Anthony Levandowski, Uber’s former head of self-driving. (Levandowski was convicted of stealing trade secrets and sentenced to 18 months in prison, but was later pardoned by President Donald Trump.)
