Scan barcode
fluffycamel's review
2.0
Uber’s story is fascinating and I was excited to read this but felt disappointed. It all felt very much like the New York Times just patting itself on the back for getting a scoop here and there. The writing felt like an extra long article and did not have strong storytelling. I’d recommend Bad Blood or American Kingpin if you prefer more engaging narratives on tech company takedowns.
mikkelmiguelon's review
5.0
This book is a captivating ride (pun intended). Very hard to put down.
Mike Isaac was ostensibly the right person to write this book as he had been reporting on Uber for all of its years since inception. His 200+ sources and their inside scoops make the story very credible. Only by stringing together all of the public fallouts created by Uber & Kalanick himself, you start to understand how the sh*tshow year of 2017 was an unavoidable outcome of the "super pumped" bro culture that Uber perpetuated (except for - of course - Kalanick sadly losing his mom in a tragic accident).
What I like is that Isaac doesn't paint Kalanick as a con artist (which he isn't). Kalanick is just the ebullient and charismatic entrepreneur who hasn't been kept in check by his immediate environment and through Uber's corporate governance. The question is though whether without Kalanick flouting the rules we would've still been still stuck with the notoriously inefficient and customer-unfriendly taxi industry.
Mike Isaac was ostensibly the right person to write this book as he had been reporting on Uber for all of its years since inception. His 200+ sources and their inside scoops make the story very credible. Only by stringing together all of the public fallouts created by Uber & Kalanick himself, you start to understand how the sh*tshow year of 2017 was an unavoidable outcome of the "super pumped" bro culture that Uber perpetuated (except for - of course - Kalanick sadly losing his mom in a tragic accident).
What I like is that Isaac doesn't paint Kalanick as a con artist (which he isn't). Kalanick is just the ebullient and charismatic entrepreneur who hasn't been kept in check by his immediate environment and through Uber's corporate governance. The question is though whether without Kalanick flouting the rules we would've still been still stuck with the notoriously inefficient and customer-unfriendly taxi industry.
juliaarciga's review
4.0
No, it’s not as good as Bad Blood, but it is an interesting enough read for people who already like reading about tech/Silicon Valley/etc. Other reviews claim that the writing of this story was very “bro”-y... but if Travis and the company were actually like that and were accurately portrayed then it’s not the writer’s fault.
I will fault the writer, however, for a lot of needless repetition of certain details throughout the book (at one time, in the same paragraph). Book could have probably been shorter and tighter just by trimming some of that.
I will fault the writer, however, for a lot of needless repetition of certain details throughout the book (at one time, in the same paragraph). Book could have probably been shorter and tighter just by trimming some of that.
crglasser's review
5.0
A truly fascinating read about the roller coaster of ups and downs in one of the fastest growing startups in Silicon Valley. Isaac takes us through the entire history of the company, starting with Kalanick's beginnings as an entrepreneur, in a way that makes the reader feel as if they were there every step of the way. It's a cautionary tale and a riveting story of a company tarnished by bad reputations. I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in startup culture, venture capital, economics, and the Valley as a whole.
iceberg0's review
3.0
Incredibly compelling story poorly organized. Isaac struggles to create a coherent narrative thread.
akhilsukh01's review
3.75
Kalanick getting burned in his early ventures spawned a sense of paranoia towards VCs, investors, media, and any opposition. He also fed into the tech bro lifestyle which famously lacks a sense of self-awareness and humility. A lot of the Uber's early culture came from an "us vs them" mentality which was required, but also made it a difficult place to work. He'd constantly burn money to get what he wanted and back it up by raising more from investors, a skill he had perfected. His drive to kill his opponents was borderline perverse and to him no bounds were uncrossable. Ultimately, his being kicked out by his own board was a self fulfilling prophecy.
I see similarities between him and WeWork's Adam Neumann. Their confidence and bravado is inspiring for wide-eyed employees trying to be part of something bigger than themselves and optimistic investors fearful of missing out, but their arrogance also prevents them from seeing clearly.
The paragraphs are strangely short and the writing jumps around quite a bit to give context to topics like AWS, Google's self-driving car and side characters. Could be better edited.
I see similarities between him and WeWork's Adam Neumann. Their confidence and bravado is inspiring for wide-eyed employees trying to be part of something bigger than themselves and optimistic investors fearful of missing out, but their arrogance also prevents them from seeing clearly.
The paragraphs are strangely short and the writing jumps around quite a bit to give context to topics like AWS, Google's self-driving car and side characters. Could be better edited.
lizliu's review
5.0
So fascinating to read about the inner workings of Uber as someone who works at Facebook - so in the tech world - and remembers all the scandal and craziness from a few years ago