The Upstarts: Uber, Airbnb, and the Battle for the New Silicon Valley - Softcover

Stone, Brad

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0316388416 ISBN 13: 9780316388412

Publisher: Back Bay Books, 2018

Synopsis

ONE OF AMAZON'S BEST BOOKS OF 2017 A look deep inside the new Silicon Valley, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Everything Store.

Ten years ago, the idea of getting into a stranger's car, or walking into a stranger's home, would have seemed bizarre and dangerous--yet today it is as common as ordering a book online. Companies like Uber and Airbnb have redefined the way we live. And while they have become pervasive in our day-to-day lives, they are not universally celebrated. They are the result of a generation of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs who used technology to upend convention and disrupt entire industries. Led by Travis Kalanick of Uber and Brian Chesky of Airbnb, these are the upstarts, founders with an overabundance of self-confidence and a limitless drive that pushed them to rewrite the rules, better and sometimes for worse. Now with a new epilogue and updated throughout, The Upstarts takes us deep into the origins--and controversy--of these new titans of business.

About this title

Review:

Praise for The Upstarts

One of Amazon's Top Ten Books of February 2017

"Brad Stone's The Upstarts reads like a detective story: A page turning who-did-it on the creation of billion dollar fortunes and the ruthless murder of traditional businesses. No single book will tell you more about what life feels like inside companies like Airbnb and Uber as they grow from mere ideas into merciless machines for innovation, riches and unease. The sweat. The stress. The power highs of new instant fortunes. It's all here. You won't be able to put The Upstarts down. And when you finally do, you'll look at your own company and career in a totally fresh way."--Joshua Cooper Ramo, author of The Seventh Sense

"In The Upstarts, Brad Stone has vividly captured the cultural and economic upheaval brought about by the latest generation of Internet superpowers. His book is a magnificent expose of how companies like Uber and Airbnb came to be, the people that profited and lost out along the way and the ramifications that this technology will have on the world for decades to come. Stone remains the preeminent chronicler of the Internet Age and a master story teller."--Ashlee Vance, author of Elon Musk

"Brad Stone gives us a lively, fascinating picture of the new new thing in technology - startups like Uber and Airbnb that are disrupting old businesses across the world. He provides a much needed glimpse into the companies that fail as well as the ones that make it big. And he points to the broad policy issues raised by these new technologies, which are surely no fun for the people whose lives are being disrupted."--Fareed Zakaria, author of The Post-American World and host of CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS"

"With precision, wit, and insight, Brad Stone tells the tale of two very different CEOs whose skills, innovations and willingness to pursue a totally crazy idea toppled two very different industries. No one in business today can afford to miss this compelling tale of trust, technology, and very big piles of loot."--Steven Levy, author of In the Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives

"Over the last few years, Silicon Valley has become the new Wall Street. Brad Stone introduces us to the new tech Masters of the Universe, a collection of characters that are just as insatiable as the robber barons of finance, and even more entertaining."--Rana Faroohar, author of Makers and Takers

"Stone (The Everything Store) turns his attention to the sharing economy in this dual portrait of two of the fastest growing startups...At both Uber, the ride-sharing app, and Airbnb, the homestay rental platform, Stone finds commonality among the CEOs, who lead their respective companies with an idealistic vision and aggressive business practices... Solid and the sheer magnitude of the book's subjects demands attention."--Publishers Weekly

"A richly researched and highly readable narrative that provides additional layers of insight by weaving in contrasting stories of competing companies that failed."--Walter Isaacson, New York Times Book Review

"A fun, briskly told narrative... 'The Upstarts' is not the end of the story but an excellent history of the beginning."--Alex Tabarrok, Wall Street Journal

"Stone brings a big dose of truth serum to the marvels and machinations of the sharing economy and its founders.... 'The Upstarts' is rich with inside details"--George Anders, Forbes

"Technology writer Brad Stone chronicles [Uber and Airbnb's] swift rise to the corporate stratosphere, juxtaposing visionary zeal with the often deep impacts they've left in their wakes... The book is a timely reminder that pushing the digital realm into the physical can disrupt communities as well as the competition."--Nature Magazine

About the Author:

Brad Stone is senior executive editor of global technology at Bloomberg News and the author of the New York Times bestseller The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon. He has covered Silicon Valley for more than 15 years and lives in San Francisco.

About this edition

• Publisher: Back Bay Books
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 0316388416
• ISBN 13: 9780316388412
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 400