Super Pumped

Super Pumped
Cover of Super Pumped which reads: Super Pumped (top) The Battle for Uber (middle) Mike Isaac (bottom) in bold black sans serif font. The background is a bright red monochromatic close-up photograph of the face of Travis Kalanick.
AuthorMike Isaac
LanguageEnglish
PublisherW. W. Norton
Publication date
September 3, 2019
ISBN9780393652253

Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber is a 2019 book by New York Times journalist Mike Isaac. The book covers the events between the founding of Uber and its initial public offering in 2019.

Background

The book was based on Mike Isaac's coverage of events at Uber for New York Times.[1][2]

Synopsis

The book presents the history of Uber since its founding by Garrett Camp as UberCab in 2009. Travis Kalanick, who would later run the company and become its largest shareholder before being removed as CEO, was originally brought in as an advisor with its first employee Ryan Graves as its CEO. The book explains how Kalanick came to replace Graves, who stayed on with the company, and gained control over the startup. According to the book, Kalanick was bitter about how venture capitalists had treated his first startup, Scour, and he vowed not to be replaced by them again. The book details the "work hard, play hard" culture at Uber, citing a party where employees celebrated the first billion dollars in revenues in Las Vegas. It also examines the many scandals experienced by the company, including allegations of sexual harassment documented by Susan Fowler, attempts to keep regulators from hiring Uber drivers to avoid fines, and the mishandling of personal information, including in the case of a rape victim in India. It also looks at the ways that, despite these incidents, the company was considered a unicorn by venture capitalists. Isaac writes that for a time, Uber was one of the highest valued private companies in Silicon Valley. The book ends with the company entering the market at below its valuation target.[3]

Critical reception

The book was well-received upon publication.[1] Wired named it its "Book of the Month", praising it for detailing the many problems at the company without vilifying Kalanick.[4] Leslie Berlin wrote in The New York Times that "Isaac is great at the ticktock of events as they unfold, but his best work comes when he steps back to examine the bigger picture."[5]

Television adaptation

Main article: Super Pumped (TV series)

In May 2021, it was announced that Showtime had given a series order to a television adaptation of the book from Billions creators Brian Koppelman and David Levien. Koppelman, Levien and Beth Schacter will serve as showrunners, writers, and executive producers. Joseph Gordon-Levitt will star as Kalanick.[6] Kyle Chandler will also star as Bill Gurley.[7] Kerry Bishé joined the cast as Austin Geidt.[8] Babak Tafti and Mousa Hussein Kraish joined the cast.[9] Hank Azaria joined the cast as Tim Cook.[10] Bridget Gao-Hollitt was added to the cast as Gabi.[11] The series premiered on February 27, 2022.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b Thomas, Owen (August 23, 2019). "Review: 'Super Pumped' explains how Uber became a tech-bro case study". Datebook. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  2. ^ "The Book Report: Mike Isaac's "Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber"". The University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  3. ^ Isaac, Mike (2019). Super pumped : the battle for Uber (First ed.). New York, NY. ISBN 9780393652246. OCLC 1090686951.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^ Tiku, Natasha (September 3, 2019). "'Super Pumped' Benefits From Hindsight in Its Complex Portrait of Uber". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  5. ^ Berlin, Leslie (September 6, 2019). "Mike Isaac's Uber Book Has Arrived". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  6. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 24, 2021). "Joseph Gordon-Levitt To Star As Travis Kalanick In 'Super Pumped' Showtime Series About Uber From 'Billions' Co-Creators". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  7. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 27, 2021). "Kyle Chandler To Star In 'Super Pumped' Showtime Series About Uber From 'Billions' Co-Creators". Deadline Hollywood.
  8. ^ Otterson, Joe (August 3, 2021). "Showtime Uber Series 'Super Pumped' Casts Kerry Bishé (Exclusive)". Variety.
  9. ^ Petski, Denise (August 10, 2021). "'Super Pumped': Babak Tafti & Mousa Hussein Kraish Join Showtime Series About Uber". Deadline Hollywood.
  10. ^ Otterson, Joe (August 19, 2021). "Hank Azaria to Play Apple CEO Tim Cook in Uber Series 'Super Pumped' at Showtime (Exclusive)". Variety.
  11. ^ "Uber Series 'Super Pumped' at Showtime Casts Bridget Gao-Hollitt (Exclusive)".
  12. ^ Cordero, Rosy (November 23, 2021). "'Super Pumped': Showtime Sets Premiere For Anthology Series From 'Billions' Co-Creators". Deadline. Retrieved November 23, 2021.