The Upstarts : how Uber, Airbnb, and the killer companies of the new Silicon Valley are changing the world / Brad Stone.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 337-358) and an index.

Introduction -- Part I: Side projects. The trough of sorrow: the early years of Airbnb -- Jam sessions: the early years of Uber -- The nonstarters: SeamlessWeb, Taxi Magic, Cabulous, Couchsurfing, Zimride -- The growth hacker: How Airbnb took off -- Blood, sweat, and ramen: how Uber conquered San Francisco -- Part II: Empire building. The wartime CEO: Airbnb fights on two fronts -- The playbook: Uber's expansion begins -- Travis's law: The rise of ridesharing -- Too big to regulate: Airbnb's fight in New York City -- Part III: The trial of the upstarts. God view: Uber's rough ride -- Escape velocity: Fights and fables with Airbnb -- Global mega-unicorn death match!: Uber versus the world -- Epilogue.

In the spirit of iconic Silicon Valley renegades like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, another generation of entrepreneurs is using technology to upend convention and disrupt entire industries. These are the upstarts, idiosyncratic founders with limitless drive and an abundance of self-confidence. Led by such visionaries as Travis Kalanick of Uber and Brian Chesky of Airbnb, they are rewriting the rules of business and often sidestepping serious ethical and legal obstacles in the process. The Upstarts is the story of two new titans of business and a dawning age of tenacity, conflict and wealth. In Brad Stone's riveting account of the most radical companies of the new Silicon Valley, we discover how it all happened and what it took to change the world.