Travis Kalanick is jumping back into the autonomous vehicle game with a new self-driving startup backed by his former company, Uber. The controversial founder reportedly plans to take a more aggressive approach than industry leader Waymo, marking a dramatic return to the technology that once nearly destroyed his rideshare empire. The move reunites Kalanick with Uber in an unexpected alliance, years after his tumultuous departure from the company he co-founded.
Travis Kalanick is making his most surprising move yet. The former Uber CEO is starting a new self-driving car company, and his old employer is reportedly writing checks to make it happen. The news broke Friday afternoon, sending ripples through an autonomous vehicle industry that's already reeling from consolidation and setbacks.
What makes this particularly striking is the history. Kalanick's original push into self-driving at Uber ended in spectacular failure, culminating in a federal investigation, the firing of controversial engineer Anthony Levandowski, and a $245 million settlement with Waymo over stolen trade secrets. That saga contributed directly to Kalanick's ouster from Uber in 2017. Now, less than a decade later, the two are back in business together.
According to sources familiar with the matter, Kalanick wants to be more aggressive in pursuing autonomous technology than Waymo, which has dominated the commercial robotaxi market through its methodical, safety-first approach. That's a bold claim considering Waymo operates fully driverless rides in multiple cities and has logged millions of autonomous miles. The Alphabet-owned company recently expanded its San Francisco operations and continues to add vehicles to its fleet at a steady pace.
But aggressive is Kalanick's natural mode. After leaving Uber, he founded CloudKitchens, a ghost kitchen startup that's raised billions while operating largely in stealth. That venture showed he could build without the spotlight, though it's also faced criticism for aggressive tactics with restaurant partners. This new self-driving play suggests he's ready to return to transportation, the industry that made him both famous and infamous.
