by Mike Isaac
First published 2019
Mike Isaac chronicles the spectacular rise and collapse of Uber, the ride-sharing company that transformed from Silicon Valley darling to cautionary tale. Isaac examines how Travis Kalanick built Uber into a transportation empire worth billions, backed by venture capital and aggressive expansion tactics. The book reveals the company's battles with taxi unions, its toxic workplace culture, and the ruthless methods Uber used to crush competition. Isaac shows how Kalanick's leadership style and corporate scandals ultimately led to his removal in a boardroom coup in June 2017. Drawing on hundreds of interviews with current and former employees plus internal documents, Isaac exposes the bare-knuckle power struggle between founders and investors as Uber lurched toward its public offering. The book offers readers an inside look at how Silicon Valley's worship of disruptive founders can spiral into corporate disaster.
Genres: business, non-fiction, 21st-century, current-affairs
Vibes: fast-paced, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: corporate-disaster, power-struggle
Setting: Silicon Valley
Period: 21st Century
408 pages · Hardcover · W. W. Norton & Company