Super Pumped
The Battle for Uber
by Mike Isaac · first published 2019
14% recommend86% neutral
"A New York Times technology correspondent presents the dramatic rise and fall of Uber, set against the rapid upheaval in Silicon Valley during the mobile era. In June 2017, Travis Kalanick, the hard-charging CEO of Uber, was ousted in a boardroom coup that capped a brutal year for the transportation giant. Uber had catapulted to the top of the tech world yet for many came to symbolize everything wrong with Silicon Valley. In the tradition of Brad Stone's Everything Store and John Carreyrou's Bad Blood, award-winning investigative reporter Mike Isaac's Super Pumped delivers a gripping account
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Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Taleb. Changed my life and my perspective on doing business, building company and understanding luck. Such a classic. Also honourable mention: Super Pumped by Mike Isaac. Great read on the legendary Travis' journey.
on “Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?” ↗…and it is authored by an NYT reporter, based on his own reporting on NYT. I won't argue about NYT's general trends, but it's not very fair to complain NYT not to cover Uber. [1] https://www.amazon.com/Super-Pumped-Battle-Mike-Isaac/dp/039...
on “Uber broke laws, duped police and built lobbying operation, leak reveals” ↗…harmful to both workers and customers than local, strongly regulated oligopolies. Uber was ultimately trying to make things worse, but with them skimming the monopoly rents. [1] https://www.amazon.com/Super-Pumped-Battle-Mike-Isaac/dp/039...
on “WeWork says will file to withdraw IPO” ↗I really like those "case study" books about our industry, too. Off the top of my head, two more: - "Hatching Twitter" by Nick Bilton (published in 2014, about the early days of Twitter) - "Super Pumped" by Mike Isaac (published in 2019, about the early days of Uber) Neither of them go into great detail or nuance — they're made for popular consumption, so they simplify things and gloss over details.…
on “Substack Notes Launched” ↗…companies. It may also lead to companies paying for a more aggressive response. Uber has been known to deal with fraud by eventually finding the fraudster, even in Nigeria, and having them "visited".[1] [1] "Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber" Isaac, (2009)
on “US travel firm $4.5M ransom negotiation open chat” ↗Hello, We are the New York Press Club, writing to give a headsup on an event that might be of interest to HN people. We're hosting Mike Isaac, New York Times reporter and author of SUPER PUMPED, a book on Uber, for a conversation and audience Q&A. That's Jan. 15 at 6:30 p.m. ET, at the CUNY journalism school, at 219 West 40th Street. If of interest, please register via the link. Thanks! NY…
on “Event: Conversation with NYT Reporter Mike Isaac, Who Wrote the Book on Uber” ↗…technology ecosystems, they rely on each other-and thereby coerce each other. Apple has, for exam- ple, shocking power to influence other companies that wish to have their app available on the iPhone. In Super Pumped, Mike Isaac describes a visit by the then-CEO of Uber to Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, who explains in no uncertain terms what data policies are going to be allowed in the app if Uber wants to remain in…
on “Intellectual Property and the Fissured Economy” ↗