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Uber co-founder launches Atoms, a new robotics start-up
14 Mar 2026

Travis Kalanick, the co-founder and former CEO of Uber, has launched a new start-up called Atoms.

The company will focus on specialized industrial robotics to automate tasks in sectors like mining, transport, and food.

The move comes as part of Kalanick's belief that task-specific machines are crucial for improving industrial productivity.

Atoms is an expansion of Kalanick's previous venture
Company evolution

Kalanick's new venture is an expansion and rebranding of his previous start-up, City Storage Systems.

He had started working on this company after leaving Uber in 2017 amid investor pressure.

"Gainfully employed robots are the machines best suited for the job at hand, that can make a living doing it," Kalanick said in a statement.

Atoms will focus on food, mining, and transport
Business strategy

Atoms will focus on three main areas: food, mining, and transport.

Kalanick said the company will provide infrastructure for the food industry through Atoms Food, boost mine productivity with Atoms Mining, and create a "wheelbase for robots" with Atoms Transport.

This strategy highlights Kalanick's commitment to building specialized systems using physical artificial intelligence (AI) to automate real-world tasks.

Kalanick is close to acquiring Pronto
Acquisition strategy

To support Atoms's mining business, Kalanick is close to acquiring Pronto, an autonomous vehicle start-up focused on industrial and mining sites.

The company was founded by his former Uber colleague Anthony Levandowski.

Kalanick revealed that he is already the "largest investor" in Pronto, further emphasizing his commitment to this new venture.

The controversy surrounding Pronto's founder
Tech journey

Kalanick had previously created a self-driving division at Uber in 2015.

The project was marred by controversy when Uber was sued by Google for stealing secrets related to its own self-driving car project, which later became Waymo.

Though the companies settled, Levandowski (who played a major role in the project) was criminally charged and sentenced to 18 months in prison for his involvement.