Travis Kalanick, co-founder of Uber, has unveiled his new robotics company, Atoms, on March 13, 2026, after operating in stealth mode for eight years under the name City Storage Systems. This venture, which focuses on specialized industrial robotics for sectors like food, mining, and transport, has achieved a notable valuation of $15 billion, securing over $1.1 billion in funding. A significant portion of this investment includes an early $400 million check from the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) and $150 million injected by Kalanick himself. Remarkably, Uber has also surfaced as a major backer, specifically supporting the transport division of Atoms.
Atoms represents an expansion and rebranding of City Storage Systems, the parent company of ghost-kitchen operator CloudKitchens, which will now be folded into the new venture. Kalanick detailed the company's focus in a 1,700-word mission statement, outlining three main divisions: Atoms Food, which provides infrastructure for the food industry; Atoms Mining, aimed at increasing mine productivity; and Atoms Transport, described as a "wheelbase for robots." The company's strategy involves creating "gainfully employed robots" that are task-specific and designed for efficiency in industrial-scale operations, prioritizing them over humanoid robots.
The scale of Atoms' operations is substantial, with the company already present in over 110 cities across 30 countries and employing thousands of individuals who were part of its "invisible" workforce during its stealth phase. A key aspect of its strategy involved a significant real estate play, where Kalanick spent billions acquiring distressed properties such as old warehouses, parking lots, and abandoned retail spaces, transforming them into high-tech hubs for his robot operations. Furthermore, Atoms is reportedly close to acquiring Pronto, an autonomous-vehicle startup founded by Anthony Levandowski, a former Uber colleague of Kalanick, which specializes in industrial and mining autonomy.
