A new report says the Uber founder’s startup is weighing a bigger push into autonomous vehicles, including talks with Uber and possible acquisitions.
Travis Kalanick’s Atoms is looking beyond its recent $1.7 billion funding round and into robotaxis, according to a new report from the Financial Times.
The startup, which raised the money earlier this summer in a round led by Andreessen Horowitz, had kept its plans relatively opaque. The FT report fills in some of the blanks: Atoms is said to be preparing for a hiring spree and acquisitions that could make it a more serious player in autonomous vehicles.
Uber talks point to a robotaxi angle
The clearest signal in the report is Uber. The FT said Atoms has discussed with Uber how the ride-hailing company could use Atoms’ robotaxi technology. Uber has already lined up partnerships across a broad set of autonomous vehicle companies, and the report says Uber has also invested $100 million in Atoms, a figure TechCrunch previously confirmed.
That does not mean robotaxis are the whole story for the startup. Sources cited by the FT said the category is only part of Atoms’ broader plans. Still, the direction lines up with Kalanick’s description of the funding round as “unfinished business.”
Acquisitions and hiring are part of the plan
The report also points to a company that is not standing still after the raise. Atoms is reportedly preparing to expand its headcount and pursue acquisitions, moves that would give it more reach in the autonomous vehicle market.
One acquisition already fits that pattern: Atoms bought Pronto, an autonomous mining startup led by Anthony Levandowski, the former Uber self-driving chief. Levandowski was convicted of stealing trade secrets, sentenced to 18 months in prison, and later pardoned by President Donald Trump.
For Kalanick, the new report suggests the company’s next chapter may be less about keeping its intentions hidden and more about building fast enough to matter in a crowded field. The robotaxi business is already full of deep-pocketed rivals and established partnerships. Atoms now appears to be trying to buy speed, talent and a place at the table.
What Atoms is signaling now
The funding round gave Atoms the capital. The FT report suggests the company is now deciding how aggressively to deploy it. A robotaxi push would put Kalanick back in a part of transportation he knows well, but under very different conditions than the ride-hailing era that made him a household name.
For now, the signal is clear enough: Atoms is not behaving like a startup content to sit on a giant round. It is hiring, shopping, and talking to one of the biggest names in mobility about where robotaxis fit next.
