Travis Kalanick's ATGMs raises $1.7B for robotaxis and hiring
Travis Kalanick, the Uber founder, is back in the spotlight with his startup Atoms, which just raised $1.7 billion to dive into self-driving cars.
The company is ramping up hiring and looking at acquisitions to make a mark in the autonomous vehicle space.
Atoms is also talking with Uber about bringing its robotaxi tech to the ride-hailing app; no surprise since Uber has already invested $100 million in them.
Atoms buys Pronto, adds Anthony Levandowski
Atoms bought Pronto, an autonomous mining startup led by Anthony Levandowski (Uber's former self-driving chief who was convicted of stealing trade secrets and sentenced to 18 months in prison, but was then pardoned by President Donald Trump).
Levandowski is now at Atoms, and his expertise hints that Atoms isn't stopping at robotaxis: it's eyeing other uses for autonomous vehicles too.
With Kalanick's track record at Uber, this push into robotaxis feels like "unfinished business" and could shake up how we get around in the future.