Key facts
- Gautam Gupta, former finance chief at Uber, has joined Travis Kalanick's robotics startup Atoms as CFO.
- Gupta previously worked at Uber for over four years until July 2017.
- Atoms recently raised $1.7 billion in funding.
- Uber was an investor in Atoms' recent funding round, contributing $100 million.
- Gupta's venture capital firm, A*, made its largest investment in Atoms' history.
Gautam Gupta, who previously served as Uber's finance chief under Travis Kalanick, has joined Kalanick's robotics and industrial AI startup Atoms as its new chief financial officer. Gupta announced his move on social media, noting his belief in Kalanick's ability to build new markets.
Gupta's tenure at Uber lasted over four years, concluding shortly after Kalanick's departure in 2017. His hiring at Atoms continues a pattern of Kalanick recruiting former Uber colleagues. Earlier this year, Atoms acquired Pronto, a mining autonomy startup led by former Uber self-driving engineer Anthony Levandowski. Several other former top Uber employees now work at Atoms, which was formerly known as CloudKitchens.
Atoms recently secured $1.7 billion in funding, with Uber itself participating as an investor to the tune of $100 million. Kalanick has stated his ambition for Atoms to focus on mining, food, and transportation, aiming to overcome natural resistance to change. Gupta's venture capital firm, A*, which he co-founded in 2020, also made its largest investment in Atoms' history, prompting Gupta to step down from A* to take on the CFO role.