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

by Brad Stone Narrated by Dean Temple

Overview

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.

Editorial Reviews

The New York Times Book Review - Walter Isaacson

…The Upstarts [is]…a richly researched and highly readable narrative that provides additional layers of insight by weaving in contrasting stories of competing companies that failed.

Publishers Weekly - Audio

04/03/2017
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.)

Publishers Weekly

01/16/2017
Stone (The Everything Store) turns his attention to the sharing economy in this dual portrait of two of the fastest growing startups in the “post-Google, post-Facebook era of innovation” in Silicon Valley. 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. Uber’s Travis Kalanick comes off as the more pugnacious of the two, while Brian Chesky of Airbnb operates with a softer touch. Beginning in 2009 with President Obama’s inauguration, the book follows the companies and their founders from the early days to their current status as leaders in the global market place, upending their respective industries and local economies around the world. Both Uber and Airbnb are currently valued in billions, but as Stone shows, the road to success over the past 8 years has not been an easy one. Both companies persevered through financial woes caused by investor rejections, struggles with local governments, scuffles with rivals, and publicity disasters. The writing is solid and the sheer magnitude of the book’s subjects demands attention for this book. (Jan.)

From the Publisher

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

"The most detailed investigation yet into the early years of these Silicon Valley prodigies... an entertaining and well-crafted account."—Leslie Hook, Financial Times

"With a detailed and revealing account of the companies' rise and commentary on why they succeeded in the way they did, Brad Stone's newest read is interesting, informed and oh-so-timely."—Ashley Macey, Brit + Co

"The Upstarts is a testament to grit-lots and lots of it-and, yes, luck. It's quite a good read."—Brenda Jubin, Investing.com

"[Stone] amply illustrates that for every tech champion, there is a forgotten crowd of decapitated competitors, pissed-off investors, defenestrated founders and unrewarded early employees... where Stone really succeeds is in providing the reader with the visceral experience of the start-up enterprise."—Antonio Garcia-Martinez, Washington Post

"A fascinating account of the founders and leaders of each company, each of whom have molded the companies into their own images in many ways... [Stone's] telling is especially artful. These books are great primers for aspiring entrepreneurs as well as those who are simply interested in what makes entrepreneurs successful."—Peter High, Forbes

"A penetrating study marked by the same thorough reporting that distinguished [The Everything Store]. No figure is too obscure in the annals of Uber and Airbnb for Stone to track down, including the poignant stories of sundry entrepreneurs who converged on similar ideas but, amid various missteps, failed to find traction."—Stephen Phillips, San Francisco Chronicle

"Terrific... What is great about The Upstarts is that in learning the history of Uber and Airbnb, we learn that the founders of these companies had little idea about the eventual impact of their business models."—Joshua Kim, Inside Higher Education

"Riveting"—Business Insider

"This book is less about our (at times) unhealthy relationship with technology, and more about the impact technology has had on our economy, our communities, and most of all, our trust in one another."—Nicolas Cole, Inc.

Praise for The Everything Store

Winner of the 2013 Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award

SELECTED AS A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST, FORBES, THE NEW REPUBLIC, THE ECONOMIST, BLOOMBERG, AND GIZMODO, AND AS ONE OF THE TOP 10 INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM BOOKS OF 2013 BY NIEMAN REPORTS

"Mr. Stone tells this story with authority and verve, and lots of well-informed reporting.... A dynamic portrait of the driven and demanding Mr. Bezos."—Michiko Kakutani, New York Times

"Engrossing.... Stone's long tenure covering both Bezos and Amazon gives his retelling a sureness that keeps the story moving swiftly."—New York Times Book Review

"Jeff Bezos is one of the most visionary, focused, and tenacious innovators of our era, and like Steve Jobs he transforms and invents industries. Brad Stone captures his passion and brilliance in this well-reported and compelling narrative."—Walter Isaacson, author of Steve Jobs

"A deeply reported and deftly written book.... Like Steven Levy's "In the Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives," and "Gates: How Microsoft's Mogul Reinvented an Industry — and Made Himself the Richest Man in America" by Stephen Manes and Paul Andrews, it is the definitive account of how a tech icon came to life."—Seattle Times

"Stone's book, at last, gives us a Bezos biography that can fit proudly on a shelf next to the best chronicles of America's other landmark capitalists."—Forbes

Library Journal - Audio

03/15/2017
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.

Library Journal

02/15/2017
The sharing economy is pretty revolutionary, and Stone (senior executive of global technology, Bloomberg News; The Everything Store) tries to take its measure by examining the history of two companies: ride-sharing Uber and home-sharing Airbnb. The emphasis is very much upon the personalities and decisions of the founders and leaders. Stone's admiration for their accomplishments is evident, but he never falls into outright hero worship. He does not ignore or minimize their poor decisions, or the costs others have borne for the companies' success. This book does a good job of comparing the companies' origins and behavior, finding both similarities and differences. In this regard, what is perhaps most striking is the self-glorification in which both indulge, and the often resulting lack of perspective. Stone's descriptions of competitors and also government officials who seek to regulate the companies are similar to those of the main protagonists, though naturally less extensive. VERDICT Drawing upon publicly available materials as well as interviews conducted by the author, this very readable, informative history will likely appeal to those interested in the sharing economy and contemporary business history. [See Prepub Alert, 9/12/16.]—Shmuel Ben-Gad, Gelman Lib., George Washington Univ., Washington, DC

MARCH 2017 - AudioFile

Bloomberg Media technology reporter Stone provides new details concerning the strategies, tactics, and methodologies employed by Uber and Airbnb. Founders Kalanick of Uber and Chesky of Airbnb are often flying in the face of very established companies to change their respective industries in graphic, innovative, and dramatic ways. First-time narrator Dean Temple’s vocal quality, while appropriately youthful, is noticeably weak—as if he is not connecting with the material. Words are not well enunciated, and his tone has little warmth or enthusiasm. The production quality is distracting despite the audiobook’s vital exploration of contemporary technological innovation. W.A.G. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2016-12-19
Celebratory biography of the upstart companies that regulators love to hate.It was just eight years ago that Barack Obama was sworn into the presidency for his first term, a time of newborn hope in the heart of a grim depression. Enter an air mattress, a couple of smart youngsters, and the realization that unused guest rooms could be leveraged into extra bucks, and you have a new player in the service economy: Airbnb. You also have, writes Bloomberg News senior executive editor Stone (The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon, 2013, etc.), a mess of controversy: housing costs go up, desirable neighborhoods get more crowded, hotels that pay their taxes go unfilled as guerrilla operators offer cheaper alternatives. In all this, there's the new middleman, those smart youngsters. The same story plays out with the rise of Uber, which turns every driver into a potential cabbie. Stone charts the transformation of Silicon Valley since 2008, and he writes winningly of how people with good—commercially if not ethically—ideas can take them from inspiration to reality. In this aspect alone, the book makes highly useful reading for budding entrepreneurs, who should also take Stone's point that the winners in this Darwinian struggle were the players who studied the market exhaustively to figure out just the right angle of entry. Granted, in this anecdotally driven account, there is also plenty to pepper the ire of anyone who's not on board with the thought that a speculator, alive with realization of "lost utility," can build a robust economy on the backs of others alone. And, as the author notes, these new Silicon Valley firms seem to represent "the overweening hubris of the techno-elite" as much as they represent a disruption of the service sector. Despite patches of gee-whiz formulaic prose ("the Airbnb marketplace had the most incredible structural momentum that many of the company's investors and executives had ever seen"), Stone's account is illuminating reading for the business-minded.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170380299
Publisher:	Hachette Audio
Publication date:	01/31/2017
Edition description:	Unabridged

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