Travis Kalanick’s Atoms might be getting into the robotaxi business

特拉维斯·卡兰尼克（Travis Kalanick）的 Atoms 公司可能正进军自动驾驶出租车业务

Earlier this summer, Travis Kalanick’s Atoms announced a $1.7 billion funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz. But even after raising that mega round, the Uber founder remained a bit cagey about what he was actually aiming to do. 今年夏天早些时候，特拉维斯·卡兰尼克旗下的 Atoms 公司宣布完成了一轮由 Andreessen Horowitz 领投的 17 亿美元融资。然而，即便在完成了这笔巨额融资后，这位 Uber 创始人对于公司真正的目标仍保持着一丝神秘。

Now a story in the Financial Times offers more details about Atoms’ goals. The startup is reportedly preparing for a hiring spree, as well as acquisitions, that could make it a major player in the autonomous vehicle industry. 如今，《金融时报》的一篇报道披露了关于 Atoms 目标的更多细节。据报道，这家初创公司正准备进行大规模招聘和收购，这可能使其成为自动驾驶汽车行业的主要参与者。

In fact, the FT said Atoms has talked to Uber about how the ride-hailing company could use the startup’s robotaxi technology. (Uber has already partnered with a long list of autonomous vehicle companies.) The report also noted that Uber has invested $100 million in Atoms — a figure previously confirmed by TechCrunch. 事实上，《金融时报》称，Atoms 已经与 Uber 进行了商谈，探讨这家网约车巨头如何使用该初创公司的自动驾驶出租车技术。（Uber 此前已经与多家自动驾驶汽车公司建立了合作关系。）报道还指出，Uber 已向 Atoms 投资了 1 亿美元——这一数字此前已得到 TechCrunch 的证实。

While sources emphasized that robotaxis don’t represent the entirety of Atoms’ plans, this direction seems consistent with Kalanick’s description of the round as “unfinished business.” It also fits with Atoms’ acquisition of Pronto, an autonomous mining startup led by Uber’s former self-driving chief Anthony Levandowski. (Levandowski was convicted of stealing trade secrets and sentenced to 18 months in prison, but was then pardoned by President Donald Trump.) 虽然消息人士强调，自动驾驶出租车并非 Atoms 计划的全部，但这一方向似乎与卡兰尼克将此轮融资描述为“未竟事业”的说法相吻合。这也与 Atoms 收购 Pronto 的举动相符，Pronto 是一家由 Uber 前自动驾驶负责人安东尼·莱万多夫斯基（Anthony Levandowski）领导的自动驾驶矿业初创公司。（莱万多夫斯基曾因窃取商业机密被判入狱 18 个月，但随后获得了唐纳德·特朗普总统的赦免。）