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x0pherl's review against another edition
4.0
I don't know why silicon valley takedowns like this are so readable. Some of it is just the trainwreck narrative I guess, and there's a definite sense of schadenfreude to Uber's story. There's also a little bit of delightful discomfort of recognizing that some of the terrible tendencies of the worst of silicon valley exist in all of tech; an ability to say "oh I thought it was bad but I'm glad it's not that bad for me"
At any rate this is a fast read, well written, very cringe.
At any rate this is a fast read, well written, very cringe.
jerguismi's review against another edition
4.0
Really entertaining. However probably not that interesting if you are not into uber or startups.
jcoker10's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting, well researched, appropriately shocking—file under “tech bros won’t save us”. Recommended.
amarettto's review against another edition
4.0
I'm a bit unsure what I walked away with after reading this book. It wasn't as entertaining as Bad Blood, but it also seems unfair to compare two different stories just because they are vaguely in the same genre of Tech Company Nightmares. The writing was a bit all over the place, and it seems like the author would make hyperbolic statements simply for dramatic effect from time to time.
Reading this book did reaffirm that Uber's company culture was (is?) toxic, and that being a woman in the company particularly during its early days, surrounded by misogynistic peers and worse, a misogynistic tech-bro CEO, must have been petrifying and uncomfortable. It's unclear what kind of atmosphere Kalanick was trying to create, I could not tell from the replication of Amazon's Leadership Principles, since they were copied over in such an odd informal way that it seemed almost mocking. They appeared to me like what would be a on a handwritten signboard at a frat house with weird picture drawings by them.
I'm surprised Uber even made it this far, and strongly sense they might not have, had they not had an industry-disrupting product, and a cutthroat will to succeed. The whole recap of Greyball, skirting transportation regulatory laws, and being able to get away with it all due to sheer volume of customer interest, was astounding but mildly disheartening. This power was very much a double-edged sword, allowing the company to turn right around and show its drivers that they were simply dispensable resources of the company's.
The segment on the coup at the end was probably the most interesting to me, and I'm curious to learn about what specific aspects of the company culture has changed since Kalanick was replaced as CEO, though I do not hold out much hope - it doesn't seem like a simple feat to overturn methods of operation set in place over years, unless most of the top of the pyramid was ousted at once. In summary, a decent read, but some questionable writing and delivery.
Reading this book did reaffirm that Uber's company culture was (is?) toxic, and that being a woman in the company particularly during its early days, surrounded by misogynistic peers and worse, a misogynistic tech-bro CEO, must have been petrifying and uncomfortable. It's unclear what kind of atmosphere Kalanick was trying to create, I could not tell from the replication of Amazon's Leadership Principles, since they were copied over in such an odd informal way that it seemed almost mocking. They appeared to me like what would be a on a handwritten signboard at a frat house with weird picture drawings by them.
I'm surprised Uber even made it this far, and strongly sense they might not have, had they not had an industry-disrupting product, and a cutthroat will to succeed. The whole recap of Greyball, skirting transportation regulatory laws, and being able to get away with it all due to sheer volume of customer interest, was astounding but mildly disheartening. This power was very much a double-edged sword, allowing the company to turn right around and show its drivers that they were simply dispensable resources of the company's.
The segment on the coup at the end was probably the most interesting to me, and I'm curious to learn about what specific aspects of the company culture has changed since Kalanick was replaced as CEO, though I do not hold out much hope - it doesn't seem like a simple feat to overturn methods of operation set in place over years, unless most of the top of the pyramid was ousted at once. In summary, a decent read, but some questionable writing and delivery.
fluffycamel's review against another edition
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.
nicolaijepsen's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.5
mikkelmiguelon's review against another edition
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.