Atoms targets robotaxi market following $1.7B funding round

Travis Kalanick, the former CEO of Uber, is positioning his new startup, Atoms, to become a major player in the autonomous vehicle industry. Following a $1.7 billion funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz, Atoms is reportedly preparing for significant hiring and acquisitions to advance its robotaxi and industrial automation technologies.

Atoms has already acquired Pronto, an autonomous mining startup led by former Uber self-driving chief Anthony Levandowski. The company is also in discussions with Uber, which invested $100 million in the startup, regarding the potential integration of Atoms’ robotaxi technology into Uber’s ride-hailing network. Kalanick has described the venture as addressing “unfinished business” from his tenure at Uber.