Travis Kalanick's robotics and industrial AI company Atoms has added another familiar Uber-era executive to its leadership team. Gautam Gupta, who previously served as finance chief under Kalanick, said he has joined the company as chief financial officer.
Gupta spent more than four years at Uber before leaving in 2017, shortly after Kalanick stepped down as CEO. His move comes soon after Atoms secured a $1.7 billion funding round, signaling a new phase of expansion for the startup.
The appointment also reflects a broader pattern at Atoms, where several former Uber leaders now play key roles. Earlier this year, the company acquired mining autonomy startup Pronto, led by Anthony Levandowski, another former Uber self-driving engineer. Atoms, formerly known as CloudKitchens, has also drawn in other executives linked to Uber's early growth.
Kalanick has described the funding round as a continuation of the long-term vision he began at Uber and later carried into CloudKitchens. Atoms is aiming to build across mining, food, and transportation, with a focus on robotics systems that connect physical operations with advanced automation.
Gupta said his decision to join was driven by confidence in Kalanick's ability to push ambitious ideas forward. He also noted that his investment firm, A*, made its largest investment to date in Atoms before he stepped down to take the CFO role.
As Atoms scales its team and capital base, the company is positioning itself as a major player in the next wave of industrial AI. That trajectory could help shape how automation evolves across essential sectors in the years ahead.
