Kalanick Pivots CloudKitchens Into Robotics Company Called Atoms
Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick rebrands CloudKitchens' parent company as Atoms, betting big on robots for food, mining, and transport.
Travis Kalanick is back with another big swing. The Uber co-founder has renamed CloudKitchens' parent company to Atoms, signaling a hard pivot into robotics.
The new venture's mission: building what Kalanick calls "gainfully employed robots." The company is targeting three major industries — food, mining, and transportation.
It's a dramatic shift from ghost kitchens to physical machines. CloudKitchens made waves by snapping up real estate for delivery-only restaurant operations. Now Kalanick is betting that the real money is in automated labor across heavy industries.
The rebrand to Atoms suggests Kalanick wants a clean break from the kitchen brand. The name nods to the physical world — a deliberate contrast to the software-first companies dominating tech.
No word yet on specific products or timelines. But if Kalanick's Uber playbook is any indication, expect aggressive moves fast.