** Shares of robotaxi company Pony AI PONY.O climb ~10% to $14.31

** Uber UBER.N is in talks with its founder and former CEO Travis Kalanick to fund his acquisition of PONY's U.S. arm, according to a report from the New York Times Dealbook

** Kalanick would run Pony if the deal is completed - report

** PONY and UBER did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comments

** PONY has a market value of $4.63 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG

** PONY shares down 0.2% YTD, including Thursday's session moves

(Reporting by Niket Nishant in Bengaluru)

((Niket.Nishant@thomsonreuters.com))