Travis Kalanick on Building Atoms After Uber

In this talk

1. 1:30

   From bits to atoms

   Kalanick frames Atoms as a continuation of Uber’s work connecting digital technology to physical services. He maps computing functions to the physical world: manufacturing processes atoms, real estate stores them, and transport and logistics move them. He calls systems combining software, sensors, robotics, and AI across industrial sectors “industrial AI.”

2. 7:37

   Food and mining computers

   Kalanick describes Atoms Food as a system combining automated meal production, delivery, and industrial real estate, with a goal of approaching grocery-store costs. Atoms Mining aims to increase mine productivity and safety through automation, from moving materials to processing them. He says mining customers ask the company to prove its proposed gains, including a target of 20% more gold per year.

3. 14:00

   Progress, competition, and resistance

   Kalanick describes Atoms’ “progress machines” as ways to discover useful truths and turn them into capabilities others lack. He says entrepreneurs face resistance to change and compares current industrial shifts with conflicts around steel, electricity, and labor during the Second Industrial Revolution. He also points to specialized autonomy in areas such as food, trucking, freight, and mining as large opportunities.

4. 22:42

   Lessons from Uber and building Atoms

   Kalanick says he would not have acquired Lyft because its culture differed from Uber’s, and describes Atoms’ version of its old culture as letting the best idea win. Reflecting on Uber, he says he pushed too close to the line and now leaves more room to bring people along. He adds that experience makes difficult tasks such as writing strategy documents faster, while ease can signal that a team has stopped pushing.

5. 37:45

   Rebuilding and finding new motivation

   Ben describes Atoms as bringing several separate businesses under one roof after investors wanted the whole group. Kalanick says Atoms combines former Uber colleagues with leaders from outside Uber, aiming to carry forward some of the old team’s spirit while building differently. He says falling in love with new work helped him stop dwelling on Uber and focus on creating again.