Uber Engages Ousted Founder Travis Kalanick in Talks for Pony.ai US Arm Acquisition Funding

New York, NY – Uber is reportedly in preliminary discussions with its co-founder and former CEO, Travis Kalanick, regarding his potential acquisition of the U.S. subsidiary of autonomous vehicle company Pony.ai. The news, broken by New York Times technology reporter Mike Isaac, signals a significant development given Kalanick's acrimonious departure from Uber eight years ago. Dan Primack, a prominent business journalist, highlighted the unexpected nature of the development, tweeting, > "Wake up to a @MikeIsaac scoop about @travisk. What year is this?"

The confidential talks involve Kalanick seeking funding, potentially from Uber, to acquire Pony.ai's U.S. operations. If the deal proceeds, Kalanick, 48, is expected to lead the U.S. arm of Pony.ai while continuing to oversee his current venture, CloudKitchens. Pony.ai, founded in 2016 with a primary presence in China, holds permits for robot taxi and truck operations in both the United States and China, and its market capitalization stands around $4.5 billion.

This potential collaboration aligns with Uber's evolving strategy in the self-driving car sector, which has shifted from internal development to a "platform strategy" involving partnerships. The ride-hailing giant faces increasing competition from autonomous vehicle services like Waymo and Tesla, making strategic alliances crucial. An Uber spokesman declined to comment on the talks but stated the company's intent to work with multiple players to safely integrate autonomous technology.

The discussions also mark a thawing of relations between Kalanick and current Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, who took over after Kalanick's ouster in 2017. Sources familiar with the matter indicate that the two have been in more frequent communication over the past year, discussing various tech and business trends, including robotics and self-driving cars. Kalanick has maintained a relatively low profile since leaving Uber, focusing on CloudKitchens and showing a recent interest in robotics.

Pony.ai's U.S. subsidiary is being prepared for sale due to a U.S. Commerce Department rule set to take effect in March 2026, which forbids Chinese entities from operating or maintaining autonomous vehicle software used in the United States. To comply, Pony.ai "forked" its source code in 2022, ensuring its U.S.-based autonomous cars run on software developed within the country. Kalanick is reportedly engaging with other investors to finance the potential transaction.