Travis Kalanick on Building Atoms After Uber

Ben Horowitz, Travis Kalanick, and Erik Torenberg take the stage at Atoms' launch event for a candid fireside conversation about entrepreneurship, company building, and why Kalanick believes the next industrial revolution will be powered by AI. They revisit pivotal moments from Uber's history, including the decision not to acquire Lyft, lessons from scaling one of the world's fastest-growing companies, and how Kalanick has evolved as a founder. The conversation also explores Atoms' vision for industrial AI, why software is moving into the physical world, what it takes to build enduring company cultures, and why Kalanick believes the biggest opportunities of the next decade lie in transforming industries like food production, mining, and manufacturing. Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 00:53 - The Bits & Atoms Video: Uber's Vision from 10 Years Ago 09:00 - Atoms Mining, Food Computers & Autonomous Machines 14:44 - The Final Boss: Resistance to Change & the Second Industrial Revolution 22:41 - Why Travis Didn't Buy Lyft 28:13 - How Travis Has Changed as a Founder 36:00 - From $4M Pre to a16z's Biggest Check Ever 46:11 - Dirty Fuel, Revenge Businesses & Falling in Love Again 50:37 - Be Uniconic: Eight Years in Stealth & the New Media Landscape Resources: Follow Travis Kalanick on X: https://x.com/travisk Follow Ben Horowitz on X: https://x.com/bhorowitz Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://twitter.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see http://a16z.com/disclosures.

Travis KalanickguestErik TorenberghostBen Horowitzguest

Aug 14, 202654mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: August 14, 2026
Duration: 54m
Channel: a16z
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Ben Horowitz, Travis Kalanick, and Erik Torenberg take the stage at Atoms' launch event for a candid fireside conversation about entrepreneurship, company building, and why Kalanick believes the next industrial revolution will be powered by AI. They revisit pivotal moments from Uber's history, including the decision not to acquire Lyft, lessons from scaling one of the world's fastest-growing companies, and how Kalanick has evolved as a founder. The conversation also explores Atoms' vision for industrial AI, why software is moving into the physical world, what it takes to build enduring company cultures, and why Kalanick believes the biggest opportunities of the next decade lie in transforming industries like food production, mining, and manufacturing. Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 00:53 - The Bits & Atoms Video: Uber's Vision from 10 Years Ago 09:00 - Atoms Mining, Food Computers & Autonomous Machines 14:44 - The Final Boss: Resistance to Change & the Second Industrial Revolution 22:41 - Why Travis Didn't Buy Lyft 28:13 - How Travis Has Changed as a Founder 36:00 - From $4M Pre to a16z's Biggest Check Ever 46:11 - Dirty Fuel, Revenge Businesses & Falling in Love Again 50:37 - Be Uniconic: Eight Years in Stealth & the New Media Landscape Resources: Follow Travis Kalanick on X: https://x.com/travisk Follow Ben Horowitz on X: https://x.com/bhorowitz Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://twitter.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see http://a16z.com/disclosures.

SPEAKERS

Travis Kalanick
guest
Entrepreneur best known as the co-founder and former CEO of Uber, now building “Atoms” (bits-to-atoms companies).
Erik Torenberg
host
Andreessen Horowitz partner and podcast host/interviewer.
Ben Horowitz
guest
Co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz and longtime Silicon Valley investor/operator.

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of a16z, featuring Travis Kalanick and Erik Torenberg, Travis Kalanick on Building Atoms After Uber explores travis Kalanick outlines Atoms’ industrial AI vision and lessons learned Kalanick reframes “bits to atoms” as building industrial-scale computers where manufacturing is the CPU, real estate is storage, and logistics is the network for the physical world.

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