Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick’s physical AI venture, Atoms, is reportedly preparing an aggressive hiring and acquisition push to enter the autonomous vehicle and robotaxi market, supported by a recent $1.7 billion funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz.
The expansion builds on Atoms' strategic acquisition of Pronto—an autonomous trucking and mining startup co-founded by former Uber self-driving head Anthony Levandowski—and includes a confirmed $100 million strategic investment from Uber itself. While official spokespeople position Atoms primarily as an industrial automation and physical AI developer, internal recruiting efforts and preliminary integration talks with ride-hailing networks indicate Kalanick is aiming to build full-stack software for autonomous ride-hailing, reuniting key talent from Uber's early self-driving team to address what he framed as "unfinished business."
