The Financial Times reported that former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick is planning to develop autonomous robotaxi technology through his startup Atoms and has already held preliminary discussions with Uber about allowing its ride-hailing network to adopt the technology. Atoms raised $1.7 billion in July, led by a16z.
Financial Times: Kalanick’s Ride-Hailing Market Plans Through Atoms
According to the Financial Times, Kalanick is recruiting several former members of Uber’s autonomous-vehicle team through Atoms and plans to bring in autonomous-driving engineering talent through hiring and acquisitions. Atoms has held preliminary discussions with Uber about allowing Uber’s ride-hailing network to adopt Atoms’ technology; Uber has already invested $100 million in Atoms, but as of the report’s publication, any further cooperation between the two sides remained at the discussion stage, with no final agreement reached.
Kalanick resigned as Uber CEO in 2017 over company-management issues and a sexual-harassment scandal, and left Uber’s board of directors entirely in 2019. a16z co-founder Ben Horowitz endorsed Kalanick’s previously emphasized culture of internal competition. Uber’s current CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, has also maintained close contact with Kalanick. The two met in May 2025 during the U.S.-Saudi Business Summit to discuss a potential cooperation deal involving Chinese autonomous-driving company Pony AI’s business in the United States.
Atoms’ Corporate Background
Atoms was previously known as City Storage Systems, Kalanick’s real estate business, which includes cloud-kitchen company Lab37 and a delivery system. In March 2026, Atoms acquired Pronto, a mining-automation company founded by Levandowski, and renamed itself Atoms after completing the acquisition.
In July 2026, Atoms raised $1.7 billion in financing led by a16z. Investors also included the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF), and the company obtained additional debt financing from JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs. The company currently has more than 2,000 employees, most of whom are focused on its food-service business, while its autonomous-vehicle research and development workforce continues to grow.
Anthony Levandowski’s Role at Atoms and the Historical Background of the Autonomous-Vehicle Trade Secrets Case
Atoms recruited Waymo co-founder and former head of Uber’s autonomous-driving division Anthony Levandowski to lead the business and accelerate the development of autonomous-driving technology. Levandowski was previously convicted of stealing Google’s autonomous-vehicle trade secrets. The same case contributed to Kalanick’s forced resignation as Uber CEO and resulted in Uber paying a settlement of nearly $350 million. Levandowski was pardoned by former U.S. President Donald Trump in 2021. Levandowski’s joining Atoms marks the first time he has returned to the autonomous-vehicle field in a senior role since leaving businesses associated with Waymo and Uber.
Atoms’ Official Response and Known Facts About Uber’s $100 Million Investment
In response to the Financial Times report, Atoms said in an official statement that it is currently focused on developing software for industrial applications and has no plans to directly enter the saturated autonomous-robotaxi market. Atoms also said that Uber is a long-term partner and can adopt its technology at any time if Uber has a need. Regarding the known business relationship between the two sides, Uber has completed a $100 million equity investment in Atoms, a verifiable fact, while the ride-hailing technology cooperation talks reported by the Financial Times remained at the preliminary-discussion stage as of the report’s publication.
The Autonomous Robotaxi Competitive Landscape
The following are publicly available figures for the main competitors in the global autonomous-robotaxi market:
Tesla Cybercab: Paid passenger services began in some areas of Austin, Texas, last week. Texas has a total of 420 registered autonomous passenger vehicles, of which only 45 are Cybercabs. The cumulative autonomous-driving mileage announced in July 2026 was 380k miles.
Waymo (owned by Alphabet): As of March 2026, it was operating commercially in 14 cities, with a fleet of 4,000 vehicles and more than 220 million cumulative driverless miles.
Atoms (reportedly): Atoms raised $1.7 billion in financing in July 2026, and its autonomous-vehicle research and development workforce continues to grow. Uber is a potential technology partner, but the company officially denies having plans to directly enter the taxi market.
Tesla Cybercab’s cumulative autonomous-driving mileage announced in July 2026 was 380k miles, while Waymo had exceeded 220 million miles by the same period. The difference stems from their different commercialization start dates and deployment scales.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Atoms complete its $1.7 billion financing, and which institutions were the main investors?
According to the Financial Times, Atoms raised $1.7 billion in financing in July 2026, led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z). Investors also included the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF), and the company obtained additional debt financing from JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs.
What role does Anthony Levandowski hold at Atoms, and what is his historical connection to Kalanick and Uber?
Levandowski was recruited by Kalanick to lead Atoms’ business. He is a co-founder of Waymo and was previously convicted of stealing Google’s autonomous-vehicle trade secrets. The same case contributed to Kalanick’s resignation as Uber CEO and Uber’s payment of a settlement of nearly $350 million. Levandowski was pardoned by Trump in 2021.
What is Atoms’ official position on entering the autonomous-taxi market, and what is known about Uber’s investment?
Atoms said in an official statement that it is currently focused on developing software for industrial applications and has no plans to directly enter the saturated autonomous-robotaxi market, while acknowledging that Uber is a long-term partner. Uber has completed a $100 million equity investment in Atoms, and discussions on technology cooperation with Atoms remained at the preliminary-discussion stage as of the report’s publication.
