Ubering: the “Rideshare” Story


Book Description

There are a few creations that have become “products,” because they became dominant in the market, and synonymous with an entire product category. Genericized names include Frigidaire, which became synonymous with “refrigerator,” Xerox, which became synonymous with “photocopying,” and Kleenex, which became synonymous with “tissues.” That has been the case with Uber, which has become identical with “rideshare.” Despite rapid growth since 2010, Uber has not become profitable, is carrying a cumulative loss of over $15 billion, as of November 2019, and it is doubtful if it will ever become profitable. Despite becoming an “eponym,” a key component of the gig economy, and inspiring numerous copycats, there is no guarantee that Uber will be able to generate an adequate return on investment, and remain in business. The concept has fatal flaws that impair its legal soundness. In the end, consumers and society determine if any business succeeds or fails. Government regulations are largely non-partisan, and exist to protect society, the general welfare, and the free enterprise system. Uber and the ride-share concept may be plowed under by regulations that exist to protect the public interest. However, regulations sometimes backfire and cause unintended consequences.




Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber


Book Description

Now a SHOWTIME® original series starring Emmy winners Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Kyle Chandler and Academy Award nominee Uma Thurman. Now streaming – Only on SHOWTIME. Named one of the best books of the year by NPR, Fortune, Bloomberg, Sunday Times A New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice “If you want to understand modern-day Silicon Valley, you need to read this book.” —John Carreyrou, New York Times best-selling author of Bad Blood Hailed as the definitive book on Uber and Silicon Valley, Super Pumped is an epic story of ambition and deception, obscene wealth, and bad behavior that explores how blistering technological and financial innovation culminated in one of the most catastrophic twelve-month periods in American corporate history. Backed by billions in venture capital dollars and led by a brash and ambitious founder, Uber promised to revolutionize the way we move people and goods through the world. What followed would become a corporate cautionary tale about the perils of startup culture and a vivid example of how blind worship of startup founders can go wildly wrong.




Ubered 2


Book Description

"The following is an account of my continued life as an Uber and Lyft driver in the Twin Cities metro area, starting December of 2015 and stretching all the way through 2018. Rideshare services vary considerably from market to market, and at no point throughout this book did my market offer the 'pool' service. Finally, it should be noted this book is a sequel to Ubered : my life as a rideshare driver. If you have not read my first installment, I would strongly urge you to stop right here and read that first." --




Wild Ride


Book Description

Uber is one of the most fascinating and controversial businesses in the world, both beloved for its elegant ride-hailing concept and heady growth, and condemned for CEO Travis Kalanick's ruthless pursuit of success at all cost. In 'Wild Ride', Adam Lashinsky, veteran Fortune writer and author of 'Inside Apple', traces the story of Uber's meteoric rise: from its murky origins to its plans for expansion into radically different industries.




Life in a Ride


Book Description

The trials and tribulations of a Los Angeles Uber Driver as he navigates not only the streets, but also a fledgling acting career, taking care of his ailing mom, and life in general.




Whistleblower


Book Description

The unbelievable true story of the young woman who faced down one of the most valuable startups in Silicon Valley history--and what came after In 2017, twenty-five-year-old Susan Fowler published a blog post detailing the sexual harassment and retaliation she'd experienced as an entry-level engineer at Uber. The post went viral, leading not only to the ouster of Uber's CEO and twenty other employees, but "starting a bonfire on creepy sexual behavior in Silicon Valley that . . . spread to Hollywood and engulfed Harvey Weinstein" (Maureen Dowd, The New York Times). When Susan decided to share her story, she was fully aware of the consequences most women faced for speaking out about harassment prior to the #MeToo era. But, as her inspiring memoir, Whistleblower, reveals, this courageous act was entirely consistent with Susan's young life so far: a life characterized by extraordinary determination, a refusal to accept things as they are, and the desire to do what is good and right. Growing up in poverty in rural Arizona, she was denied a formal education--yet went on to obtain an Ivy League degree. When she was told, after discovering the pervasive culture of sexism, harassment, racism, and abuse at Uber, that she was the problem, she banded together with other women to try to make change. When that didn't work, she went public. She could never have anticipated what would follow: that she would be investigated, followed, and harrassed; that her words would change much more than Uber; or that they would set her on a course toward finally achieving her dreams. The moving story of a woman's lifelong fight to do what she loves--despite repeatedly being told no or treated as less-than--Whistleblower is both a riveting read and a source of inspiration for anyone seeking to stand up against inequality in their own workplace.




Tfud


Book Description

TFUD (TALES FROM an UBER DRIVER) is a hilarious collection of very short stories about life as an Uber driver. Experience the sometimes surprising, sometimes shocking, sometimes crazy, occasionally stammering, and almost always funny conversations that take place between Uber passengers and this Bucks County, PA part-time Uber driver.Names have been changed to protect the guilty so, fear not. If you read about yourself, your friends will never know. Just sit back and enjoy the ride!




Diary of an Uber Driver


Book Description

'The best storyteller we've had on the show' Kyle Sandilands, Kyle & Jackie O, KIIS FM Welcome to the secret world of the Uber driver. Ben Phillips enjoys an intimate glimpse into the lives of ordinary people around Sydney -- from their morning routines to their despair after a date gone wrong, the trip out to the city and the drunken ride home afterwards. He acts as a sounding board, takes the rap for loud music, sees people at their finest and weakest, and most importantly gets to observe a cast of thoroughly extraordinary characters that make a big metropolis. Featured on ABC The Drum, The Today Show and KIIS FM, Ben Phillips' wry wit and insight have taken Sydney by storm. Diary of an Uber Driver is a snapshot of our unerring propensity to share, and overshare, from the safe anonymity of the back seat. These are your stories -- whether you remember telling them or not.




Confessions of an Uber Driver


Book Description

Chronicled during the spring and summer of 2016 in Tampa Bay, Florida, these are the true stories and confessions of John Dillingham.




Uberland


Book Description

Silicon Valley technology is transforming the way we work, and Uber is leading the charge. An American startup that promised to deliver entrepreneurship for the masses through its technology, Uber instead built a new template for employment using algorithms and Internet platforms. Upending our understanding of work in the digital age, Uberland paints a future where any of us might be managed by a faceless boss. The neutral language of technology masks the powerful influence algorithms have across the New Economy. Uberland chronicles the stories of drivers in more than twenty-five cities in the United States and Canada over four years, shedding light on their working conditions and providing a window into how they feel behind the wheel. The book also explores Uber’s outsized influence around the world: the billion-dollar company is now influencing everything from debates about sexual harassment and transportation regulations to racial equality campaigns and labor rights initiatives. Based on award-winning technology ethnographer Alex Rosenblat’s firsthand experience of riding over 5,000 miles with Uber drivers, daily visits to online forums, and face-to-face discussions with senior Uber employees, Uberland goes beyond the headlines to reveal the complicated politics of popular technologies that are manipulating both workers and consumers.