Travis Kalanick returns to Silicon Valley favor with robotics venture Atoms
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Travis Kalanick, ousted as Uber CEO in 2017, has re-emerged as a Silicon Valley hero with his industrial robotics venture Atoms. The company has secured backing from Andreessen Horowitz, with Ben Horowitz publicly praising Kalanick's ability to disrupt traditional industries. Young founders now compare Kalanick to Steve Jobs, viewing his downfall as a cautionary tale rather than a reckoning.
Key Facts
- Travis Kalanick was forced out as Uber CEO in 2017 following scandals including sexism and corporate espionage allegations.
- Kalanick's industrial robotics venture Atoms is backed by Andreessen Horowitz, whose co-founder Ben Horowitz called him a rare entrepreneur.
- Kush Bavaria, founder of AI data startup Ornn, raised $33 million and compares Kalanick to Steve Jobs for building a company whose name became a verb.
Kalanick's Ouster
In 2017, Uber investors forced CEO Travis Kalanick out after a series of scandals involving sexism and corporate espionage allegations. The ouster signaled a cultural shift in Silicon Valley, with tech journalist Mike Isaac writing in Super Pumped that the backslapping bro culture of the aught era had become passé. Nearly a decade later, Kalanick's admirers view his removal as unjust, describing it as corporate cancel culture.
Return and Backing
Kalanick has re-emerged with Atoms, a multibillion-dollar industrial robotics venture backed by Andreessen Horowitz. Ben Horowitz, co-founder of a16z, wrote in a blog post that it takes a rare entrepreneur to change old-school, heavy parts of the economy, adding, 'Travis is that guy.' Kalanick's recent video appearances show a charismatic and hypercompetitive founder with gray hair and new lines in his face.
New Generation's View
Young founders have elevated Kalanick to legendary status, with some comparing him to Steve Jobs. Kush Bavaria, who raised $33 million for his AI data startup Ornn, said Kalanick is 'the Steve Jobs for founders of my generation.' Bavaria added that young entrepreneurs revere Kalanick for building a company like Google or Airbnb whose name has become a verb.
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