Super Pumped by Mike Isaac
The story of Uber’s spectacular rise and its tumultuous struggles, told vividly in Super Pumped, is emblematic of the best and worst of Silicon Valley, and few observers are better informed to write this history than Mike Isaac, who covers the technology beat for the New York Times. Isaac’s depiction of Uber’s rapid development from tech world upstart to destroyer of the taxi industry and ubiquitous example of the gig economy is essentially the story of Uber’s deeply flawed founder, Travis Kalanick, a man of great energy, urgency, and ambition. It’s a cautionary tale of hubris and excess, marked by brazen business practices, a misogynistic “bro” culture, greed, and a string of scandals.