Aug 14, 2026, 10:30 AM ETConference Presentation, Fireside Chat, Interview

Travis Kalanick on Building Atoms After Uber

Travis Kalanick's venture, Atoms, focuses on automating physical industries he terms "Industrial AI": systems combining software, sensors, robotics, and AI to automate entire industrial sectors.
The strategy involves building "atoms-based computers" (industrial machines) for three primary verticals:
- Food: Automating production ($6–$8 per meal cost target), logistics (robotic couriers), and real estate to deliver meals cheaper than grocery stores.
- Mining: Automating extraction, material processing (flotation), and transport to increase efficiency by 20% annually and improve safety.
- Transport: Moving beyond ride-sharing ("gold") to "silver metals" like food delivery, parcel delivery, trucking, and off-road autonomy.
Kalanick asserts that multiple trillion-dollar industries are poised for automation, noting that physical worlds (growth, mining, manufacturing) are currently distinct from the digital world but are being merged.

Atoms operates as a single unified entity rather than separate companies, consolidating previously disparate investment entities (food, mining, transport) under one roof.
Organizational architecture features independent business units (e.g., a dedicated mining division) with their own CEOs and operational control, while sharing centralized resources in finance, legal, HR, and manufacturing.
Manufacturing is being consolidated into shared specialized units because the robotics and hardware requirements for mining and transport share similarities, unlike food manufacturing.

The company culture rejects "mediocre ideas" in favor of a "best idea wins" framework, which Kalanick describes as constructive confrontation or "toe-stomping" to ensure high-intensity meritocracy.
Kalanick admits his past "survival mode" mentality at Uber (fueled by fear and being "pissed off") was a "dirty fuel" that needed to be replaced; his current motivation stems from passion ("falling in love again"), which he views as a cleaner, more sustainable driver for creation.
He emphasizes the necessity of having a "champion's heart" to withstand "resistance to change," citing historical analogies to the second industrial revolution where innovators faced violent pushback (e.g., Carnegie-Frick, Edison vs. Westinghouse).
Kalanick notes a personal evolution: he is now "far off the line" of financial desperation compared to his early days, allowing him to lead with more trust and less proximity to the edge.

No Acquisition of Lyft: Kalanick confirms he would not change his decision to acquire Lyft in 2017, citing insurmountable cultural mismatches ("toe-stomping" vs. a "milquetoast" culture).
Return of Uber Alumni: Atoms has recruited key former Uber executives, including:
- Ganesh: Former Uber VP/SVP of Engineering (joined Atoms).
- Anthony Levandowski: Running food robotics.
- Eric Myhoffer: Former head of Uber Advanced Technology Group (now running food robotics).
- Jessica Morton: Former head of Uber Eats Japan (running strategic initiatives).
- Brian Atwell: Former Uber engineer (now lead on food infrastructure).
Investment Milestone: Atoms' latest funding round marks the largest check investor Ben Horowitz has ever written, signaling high conviction in Kalanick's return to the "founder mode" despite his prior absence from public fundraising.

Media Landscape Shift: Kalanick identifies a major change over the last eight years: the rise of independent media (e.g., podcasting, social platforms) has reduced the dominance of negative corporate media coverage, allowing entrepreneurs to operate without a "shut up" KPI.
Competition: Kalanick identifies Elon Musk as the current "final boss" of industrial AI and "best of the best," acknowledging that competition will be intense but necessary for progress.
Future Outlook: The company expects to revolutionize food and mining markets within the next decade, moving these sectors from human-operated to fully automated "industrial atoms-based computers."
Autonomy Development: Kalanick highlights the need for specialized, high-scale robotics (wheeled for industrial tasks) rather than humanoids for low-scale tasks, noting that autonomy is a critical, proprietary platform that must be built internally.

"When you fall in love again, you don't think about the ex very much." (Referring to moving past Uber).
"If you don't fight for the best idea, then what idea are you fighting for? You're fighting for the mediocre idea."
"I had to emulate what it's like being a capitalist in Russia... their number one KPI is called shut the fuck up." (Describing the pre-2024 media environment).
"If something is getting easy, it's about to get really fucking hard." (A warning to entrepreneurs about stagnation).