Travis Kalanick, Uber's co-founder and former CEO, has launched his new startup, Atoms. The company is focused on specialized industrial robotics designed to automate tasks in the mining, transport, and food industries.
Kalanick believes task-specific machines are crucial for improving industrial productivity. Atoms will operate through divisions including Atoms Food, Atoms Mining, and Atoms Transport. He stated that "gainfully employed robots are the machines best suited for the job at hand, that can make a living doing it."
This move follows growing interest in specialized robots as a direct path to profitability amidst widespread automation efforts in sectors like transport and waste management. Kalanick had previously left Uber in 2017.