a16z Podcast·Season 1, Episode 1152

Building the Physical AI Stack | Travis Kalanick on TBPN

Building the Physical AI Stack | Travis Kalanick on TBPN

0:000:00

Listen on:

About this episode

Travis Kalanick joins TBPN to discuss Atoms, his vision for industrial AI, and why he believes the biggest opportunities in AI lie beyond software. He explains how Atoms is bringing autonomy to mining, logistics, and food production, why robotics will reshape physical industries, and how lower costs and greater automation could unlock entirely new economic opportunities. Travis also reflects on raising $1.7 billion, building in stealth, regulation, hiring, and what he's learned since Uber. Resources Follow Travis on X: https://x.com/travisk Follow TBPN on X: https://x.com/tbpn 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: ht

Recent Episodes

OpenAI Models Go Rogue + Kimi K3 Freakout + A.I. Superforecasting

Hard Fork·Ep. 205· 4094·

This week, OpenAI reported that two of its models escaped their testing sandbox and launched an autonomous cyberattack, turning what sounds like science fiction into reality. We discuss the implications for efforts to align artificial intelligence and for the release of future A.I. models. Then, we ask how the United States should respond to Kimi K3, a new A.I. model from the Chinese company Moonshot AI that the White House says was built by distilling American models. Finally, we’re joined by Veniamin Veselovsky, the chief executive and a co-founder of Preseen, to discuss A.I. superforecasting. He tells us why A.I. is starting to match and even beat humans at predicting the future. Guest: Veniamin Veselovsky, co-founder and chief executive of Preseen. Additional Reading: OpenAI Says Its A.I. Models Went Rogue and Attacked a Digital Library China Rewrites the ‘Soft Power’ Playbook for the A.I. Age The Secret Trump Administration Battle to Fight Chinese A.I. China Has a New Top Model Th

Sriram Krishnan on Open Source AI's Biggest Week Yet

a16z Podcast·Ep. 1153· 1384·

Sriram Krishnan joins Theo Jaffee and Sofia Puccini just after concluding his tenure as Senior White House Policy Advisor on AI to discuss one of the biggest weeks yet for open-source AI. They unpack the rapid release of models including Kimi K3 and Qwen, why open models are putting pressure on frontier labs, and what it means for pricing, competition, and the future of AI infrastructure. They also discuss AI policy, distillation, cybersecurity, the role of open-weight models, whether the U.S. should respond to China's growing AI capabilities, and how governments and frontier labs should navigate the next phase of AI development. Resources: Follow Sriram Krishnan on X: https://x.com/sriramk Follow Theo Jaffee on X: https://x.com/theojaffee Follow Sofia Puccini on X: https://x.com/schisofrenia Stay Updated: Find a16z on YouTube: YouTube Find a16z on X Find a16z on LinkedIn Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts Follow our host: https://twitter.com/e

Travis Kalanick Is Back | Building the Future of Industrial AI

a16z Podcast·Ep. 1151· 5533·

Travis Kalanick, Ben Horowitz, and Erik Torenberg reunite to reflect on Uber's early days, the investment that almost happened, and why Kalanick believes the next great technology opportunity lies beyond software. They discuss the lessons of building Uber, the value of founder-led companies, and why Kalanick spent nearly eight years quietly building Atoms before stepping back into the spotlight. The conversation explores industrial AI, robotics, autonomy, mining, food production, and Kalanick's vision for digitizing the physical world, where software, manufacturing, real estate, and transportation come together to transform entire industries. Resources: Follow Travis Kalanick on X: https://x.com/travisk Follow Ben Horowitz on X: https://x.com/bhorowitz Stay Updated: Find a16z on YouTube: YouTube Find a16z on X Find a16z on LinkedIn Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content

The Hidden Physical Side of AI: Steel, Wires, and Megawatts

Lexicon·Ep. 20· 1545·

In this episode, Diane Watkins, Vice President of New Initiatives & Outreach of the IEEE Power and Energy Society, joins us to unpack how AI-driven data centers are straining power grids, and what it will take to keep the lights on. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to IE+ for premium insights and exclusive content!