TechCrunch Mobility: Uber bets on former CEO Kalanick
According to TechCrunch Mobility, Uber bets on its former CEO Travis Kalanick by joining a $1.7 billion funding round for his holding company Atoms, investing about $100 million alongside Andreessen Horowitz and others as Atoms pushes industrial AI and autonomy through Pronto.
Key Takeaways
- Uber joined a $1.7 billion round for Kalanick's Atoms and put in about $100 million.
- Andreessen Horowitz led the raise; Bain Capital, Fifth Wall, and Uber also participated.
- Atoms is prioritizing Pronto for industrial AI and OEM-agnostic autonomy in mining and transport.
- The deal revives a fraught history among Uber, Kalanick, and Anthony Levandowski.
What did TechCrunch Mobility report about Uber's bet?
In its latest TechCrunch Mobility newsletter, transportation editor Kirsten Korosec highlighted Uber's stake in Atoms, the rebranded holding company built atop Travis Kalanick's ghost kitchen project.
Kalanick, Uber's co-founder and former CEO, returned to robotics and mobility earlier this year with Atoms and a deal to acquire Anthony Levandowski's industrial automation startup, Pronto. The company now has $1.7 billion in capital to deploy.
Venture firm Andreessen Horowitz led the round. Bain Capital, Fifth Wall, and Uber took part. Ben Horowitz will join Atoms' board after the investment.
Why does Uber's investment in its former CEO matter?
The optics are striking for anyone who recalls Kalanick's exit from Uber nearly a decade ago, after a wave of scandals and lawsuits. That Uber would fund him again is the headline surprise inside the Mobility dispatch.
TechCrunch says The Information first reported Uber's $100 million commitment, and follow-up reporting confirmed that figure. Conversations also indicated the investment was made about six months ago.
For readers tracking Future Tech & AI Wonders, the move signals that ride-hailing giants still see upside in industrial autonomy—even when the founders involved carry complicated baggage.
How does past Uber and Levandowski drama fit in?
In 2016, while Kalanick was still CEO, Uber acquired Levandowski's self-driving trucks startup Otto. Less than a year later, Waymo sued Uber over alleged trade secret theft. The companies settled on the fifth day of trial.
Korosec notes that history between Kalanick, Uber, and Levandowski is messy. Even so, Uber appears willing to invest in them again through Atoms.
What will Atoms do with the $1.7 billion?
Public details remain thin. A company email from Levandowski says Atoms is investing heavily in industrial AI and physical automation for mining and transport.
The same note calls Pronto a core strategic priority and says the round is meant to accelerate scaling practical, OEM-agnostic autonomy. That framing puts autonomy software and industrial robotics at the center of Uber's renewed wager on its former chief.