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Bengaluru founder recalls early Uber days under Travis Kalanick: ‘No office, no team, just go build it’
Bengaluru founder shared how Travis Kalanick influenced his mindset during Uber’s early days in India.
A Bengaluru based founder has sparked conversation online after sharing a personal anecdote about his early days with Uber and his association with co founder Travis Kalanick. Mahesh Muraleedharan, who was among Uber India’s earliest hires, posted a selfie with Kalanick and reflected on how the experience shaped his entrepreneurial mindset.
(Also read: Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu hails Bengaluru Uber driver who went out of his way to return passenger’s wallet)
A leap into the unknown
In a detailed post on X, Muraleedharan recalled how his journey began with a simple email and no roadmap in sight. He wrote, "July 2013. An email from @allenpenn said I am Uber India’s first employee. I walked out of my home with no office, no team, no drivers, no playbook. Just the city of Bengaluru and most importantly, a directive from Travis saying, “Go build it.” That moment changed my life. Not because of Uber. Because of how Travis taught me to see the world."
He went on to explain how Kalanick’s approach to problem solving left a lasting impact. "He’s one of my top five heroes. Not in a poster-on-the-wall way but in a rewired-how-my-brain-works way. Before Travis, obstacles were just obstacles. After working with him, obstacles became the whole point. The harder the problem, the clearer the signal: no one else has solved it yet. That’s not a motivational quote. That’s an operating system he installed in me."
Lessons that shaped a founder
Muraleedharan credited these lessons for his confidence in building his current venture. He wrote, "The confidence I have today to build Basil with @HR_starryeyes didn’t come from an MBA or a book. It came from watching Travis take on entire industries and governments and simply say: “We’re doing this anyway. We won't take no for an answer”. Yep he left Uber. But Builders don’t retire. They reload. Travis was always building. Always thinking. Always in the arena. The world just couldn’t see it. Now with Atoms, everyone can. But here’s what I really want: I want @travisk to talk more. Write more. Share more."
He concluded with a broader message for founders, adding, "Because there are thousands of founders in India and around the world, sitting in small rooms, staring at impossible problems. They need to hear from someone who didn’t just build a company, but changed how a generation thinks about building. He shaped me. I know he can shape many more. Welcome back, TK. Write and share more!"
Take a look here at the post:
Kalanick’s new venture Atoms
Muraleedharan’s post comes as Kalanick returns to the spotlight with a new venture. According to Reuters, Kalanick on Friday launched Atoms, a startup focused on specialised industrial robotics aimed at automating tasks across mining, transport and food sectors.
Kalanick is betting on task specific machines to improve industrial productivity. The company is an expansion and rebranding of City Storage Systems, which he began building after exiting Uber.
"Gainfully employed robots are the machines best suited for the job at hand, that can make a living doing it," Kalanick said in a statement. He added that Atoms will operate through divisions including Atoms Food, Atoms Mining and Atoms Transport, which he described as a "wheelbase for robots."
