Uber put $100 million into Travis Kalanick’s Atoms after Atoms hired Anthony Levandowski
Uber put $100 million into Atoms, Travis Kalanick’s venture, The Next Web writes, citing Rafe Rosner-Uddin’s Financial Times reporting on Sunday. People familiar with the plans say Atoms is developing robotaxi technology and that Anthony Levandowski is leading that work.
Those sources also say Atoms has held preliminary talks with Uber about running the technology on Uber’s network. Uber declined to comment.
Atoms gave the Financial Times a flat denial. It called itself an industrial software company with no plans to enter the saturated robotaxi market. It added that Uber is a partner and may use Atoms technology for ridesharing if that proves helpful.
Levandowski co-founded Waymo and later ran Uber’s self-driving programme. Google sued over trade secrets. The FT puts Uber’s cost of that litigation at close to $350 million and says the affair contributed to Kalanick’s removal as chief executive.
Levandowski was convicted and faced 18 months in prison. Donald Trump pardoned him in 2021.
Atoms acquired his startup Pronto, which automates heavy industry and mining equipment, in March. That is how he arrived.
Atoms lists Uber among equity partners on its investor page, alongside a16z, Bain Capital Ventures, Fifth Wall, and SV Angel. The Next Web reported in July that Uber chipped into a $1.7 billion a16z-led round. The FT adds the $100 million figure.
Atoms has more than 2,000 employees across its arms. Most sit in food. A growing number work on autonomous vehicles.
The FT model matches Wayve and Nuro: build the software for robotaxis and leave the vehicles to somebody else. The company letter about industrial AI does not mention robotaxis once.
The engineer who triggered the lawsuit that helped remove Uber’s founder is back on a payroll Uber is funding. The company under that check says it is not building the thing the sources describe.
Denial on record. Sources still say robotaxi. The $100 million is not disputed.