• Wild Ride

  • Inside Uber's Quest for World Domination
  • By: Adam Lashinsky
  • Narrated by: Adam Lashinsky
  • Length: 7 hrs and 37 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (230 ratings)

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Wild Ride  By  cover art

Wild Ride

By: Adam Lashinsky
Narrated by: Adam Lashinsky
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Publisher's summary

Fortune writer and best-selling author of Inside Apple's exposé of Uber, the multibillion-dollar Silicon Valley upstart that has disrupted the transportation industry around the world.

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. Despite the company's significance to the on-demand economy and the mobile revolution and the battle for global dominance that Kalanick is waging against politicians and taxi companies all over the world, the full story behind Uber has never been told. It's a story that start-up founders, executives of traditional businesses, tech-savvy listeners, and drivers and riders alike will find riveting.

Adam Lashinsky, veteran Fortune writer and author of Inside Apple, traces the story of Uber's rapid growth from its murky origins to its plans for expansion into radically different industries. The company is fighting local competitors and lawmakers for markets around the world; it has already faced riots and protests in cities like Paris, Rio de Janeiro, and Mumbai. It fought, and lost, an expensive and grueling battle against rival Didi in China. Uber has also poached entire departments from top research universities in a push to build the first self-driving car and possibly replace the very drivers it's worked so hard to recruit.

Uber is in the headlines every day, but so much about its past and its future plans are still unknown to the public. Lashinsky will offer a look inside Uber's vault in this informative, deeply researched book about the ur-disruptor and its visionary and fierce CEO.

©2017 Adam Lashinsky (P)2017 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Adam Lashinsky is one of the most insightful, enterprising, and energetic reporters covering technology in America today. He’s always a joy to read.” (Walter Isaacson, author of Steve Jobs and The Innovators)

“In Silicon Valley, no company is more ambitious, audacious, or annoying than Uber. Adam Lashinsky’s insightful book, brimming with comments and confessions from CEO Travis Kalanick, would be worth reading even at surge pricing.” (Steven Levy, author of Hackers and In the Plex)

"Adam Lashinsky chronicles Uber’s rise from scrappy start-up to global giant with aplomb. It’s an epic story in itself, but Lashinsky’s insight and extensive reporting guarantee that it’s a valuable read as well.” (Bethany McLean, author of All the Devils Are Here and The Smartest Guys in the Room)

What listeners say about Wild Ride

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great insight in Uber's founder psyche.

This story illustrates that you can start and grow a billion dollar corporation and still have very little empathy for your employees or your clients.

It's amazing.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

okay nothing to call an Uber about

The book was okay. But it came out right before the CEO was fired so we missed that whole story. And the performance was by the author which was a little shaky.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A great deep dive of a very secretive story

Even as an ex-Uber employee this book was incredibly revealing about the rise of Uber. From the interviews to news coverage, this would be a great addition for anyone fascinated by the growth or is looking put together a case study about this unicorn.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Tainted By The Author's Childish Attitude

From the very first chapter, the author writes in a whiny, childish tone. He clearly holds a severe dislike for the Uber CEO and it constantly taints what would have otherwise been an ok book.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

👍🏽

I like this audiobook but as an ex Uber driver can’t help but to think that as a company Uber is 💩 and from what is obvious doesn’t care about drivers

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Overly detailed in unimportant facts & statistics

This might read better as print than audio. I got super bored and lost in the narrative -- and not in a good way. Boring, slow, overly detailed in areas that don't matter. Did not care for the construction of the book either. I tried to go back to it 3 times, but just could not get past the 5 hour mark, and that was punishing.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Seemed to be a pretty good history of Uber

... although the author seems to be more interested in what social media says about the company than what the company is as a business. Just because of bunch of people whine on Twitter and Snapchat doesn't mean their points are legitimate or that the majority agree. Personally I love Uber as a concept, I use it more and more every month (sometimes between offices so I can make multiple safe phone calls), and more than anything I think it is amazing and wonderful and that the service has helped reduce drunk driving so much.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Get Inside Travis Kalanick,s Head

This is a great book. You get the Uber history and also really good insight into how Uber and Travis Kalanick think and operate. It's also just fun to read.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Top level reporting without depth.

Chronological approach without tension. just seemed to rehash many of the news themes that have become the Uber story. Never felt engaged in the story and just felt driven to the conclusion. Wished we could learn more about some of the other key players.

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