Travis Kalanick is purportedly establishing a novel autonomous vehicle enterprise, enjoying “significant financial support” from Uber, as per The Information. He is said to have informed individuals of his desire “to proceed more assertively with the deployment of self-driving technology than Waymo,” the report indicates.
Furthermore, the Uber progenitor is contemplating the acquisition of Pronto, the autonomous mobility startup specializing in industrial and excavation locations, which was founded by his erstwhile associate from the ride-share firm, Anthony Levandowski. During the previous year, Kalanick reportedly showed interest in purchasing the American division of the Chinese autonomous vehicle entity, Pony AI, supported by Uber; however, The Information reported on Friday that these discussions concluded.
Uber did not promptly reply to an inquiry seeking a statement.
Kalanick stepped down from his position at Uber in 2017 following a convergence of critical issues within the ride-sharing enterprise. During that period, the firm faced numerous allegations of sexual misconduct and prejudicial treatment, prompting an independent inquiry that led to the dismissal of over 20 staff members.
Prior to these events, Kalanick had established an autonomous driving unit at Uber in 2015. Levandowski was instrumental in that undertaking, following Kalanick’s enticement from Google. Google eventually initiated legal action against Uber for pilfering confidential information pertaining to its proprietary autonomous vehicle initiative (which subsequently evolved into Waymo). The pair of corporations reached an agreement; however, Levandowski faced criminal charges and received an 18-month prison sentence for his involvement in the matter. The technologist was granted a last-ditch clemency by President Trump towards the conclusion of his initial tenure.
The firm continued its efforts on the initiative subsequent to Kalanick’s departure, even following an incident in 2018 where one of its experimental vehicles fatally collided with a pedestrian. Dara Khosrowshahi, Kalanick’s replacement, ultimately closed and divested the unit to the self-driving logistics enterprise Aurora in 2020.
During an uncommon interview in March 2025, Kalanick conveyed remorse that Uber had ceased its efforts in developing its proprietary autonomous vehicles.
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