The Upstarts

Title:

The Upstarts

How Uber, Airbnb, and the Killer Companies of the New Silicon Valley Are Changing the World

Author:

Stone, Brad

Subject:

Computer Technology

Technology

Nonfiction

Business

Description:

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 a walking into a stranger's home, would have seemed bizarre and dangerous, but today it's as common as ordering a book online. Uber and Airbnb have ushered in a new era: redefining neighborhoods, challenging the way governments regulate business, and changing the way we travel. 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 definitive 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.

Publisher:

Little, Brown and Company

Date:

2017/01/31

Digital Format:

READ IN BROWSER

ADOBE EPUB

KINDLE

Language:

English

ISBN:

9780316388382

Summary

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 a walking into a stranger's home, would have seemed bizarre and dangerous, but today it's as common as ordering a book online. Uber and Airbnb have ushered in a new era: redefining neighborhoods, challenging the way governments regulate business, and changing the way we travel.

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 definitive 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.

Author Notes

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.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

The fast-paced look at the rapidly changing world of the tech industry gets bogged down by the complexity of the story: there are so many young guns, also-rans, VC firms, and temper tantrums that it's hard for the listener to keep everyone straight. At times the narrative has so many players and so much complexity that the audio format feels overly demanding. Temple's solid, almost soothing, reading voice provides a steady guide through Stone's text, although at times his reasonable tone is at odds with the story, like when he softens the edges of Uber founder Travis Kalanick, notorious for his hotheaded iconoclasm and public outbursts. Overall, though, Temple turns in a proficient performance. A Little, Brown hardcover. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Library Journal Review

Stone (The Everything Store) presents a detailed account of two powerful players in the contemporary internet marketplace: Uber and Airbnb. This insider's examination uses interviews with current and former employees, Uber drivers, Airbnb hosts, government regulators, and CEOs Travis Kalanick and Brian Chesky, respectively. Both firms started as one of many ideas that fledgling entrepreneurs launched in the mid-2000s. Although there were other ride- and space-sharing companies debuting about the same time, it was the hard work, vision, and contacts with venture capitalists that allowed Kalanick and Chesky to grow their companies, first nationally then internationally. They had to overcome the entrenched interests and political connections of the transportation and hospitality industries, along with public skepticism over the wisdom of sharing automobiles and living space with -total strangers. Both companies now stand as mature, successful enterprises always searching for new opportunities in the digital world. Dean Temple does a wonderful job presenting the story, changing the tone of his voice to individualize the different players. VERDICT Listeners interested in the ever-changing world of Internet commerce should enjoy this work. ["A very readable, informative history that will likely appeal...to those interested in the sharing economy and contemporary business history": LJ 2/15/17 review of the Little, Brown hc.]--Stephen L. Hupp, West Virginia Univ. Parkersburg Lib. © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.