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

Length: 10 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's Summary

A look deep inside the new Silicon Valley from the New York Times best-selling author of The Everything Store.

Ten years ago the idea of getting into a stranger's car or 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.

©2016 Brad Stone (P)2016 Hachette Audio

Critic Reviews

"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)

Are You a Wartime CEO or a Peacetime CEO

For my tastes this book was way too focused on the legal and regulatory aspects of what happened when Uber and Airbnb hit the scene. I was hoping for more technology but the author assumes that to be handled somewhere else, in some other book. Which is not a bad assumption.

The thing you will like about this book is the snapshot it will give you into what innovation truly looks like from the seat of the CEO. Many times I found myself wondering, could I keep fighting these battles like these guys did? Do I care enough about the cause or do I care enough about imposing my will on the world? These CEOs did. And this book is about what that struggled was like.

Another great and important book by Brad Stone

Would you consider the audio edition of The Upstarts to be better than the print version?

Yes, narrator s excellent

Who was your favorite character and why?

The founders of AirBnB and Uber

Any additional comments?

Brad Stone is one of America's top writer- recommend his book on Amazon as well as following his writings on Business Week. Anyone interested in starting a business or understanding the dynamics of what is driving disruption on today's global economy should read this book.

Fascinating story

People who are interested in business and a good story will enjoy this tale. It gets more interesting as it goes along as we find out how tenacious Kalanick and Chesky were. It's also fascinating to see how a small start-up grows up to be a responsible company.

I did not care for the voice of the person who read the book. It seemed as though he trailed off and it was often difficult to hear him. Maybe a little more umph and enthusiasm would help.

Increíble!!! Muy muy recomendado

Es el mejor libro para entender las raíces de las grandes start ups, además de sus competidores.

Me encantó la frase 'Las mayoría de startups no mueren asesinadas sino suicidadas'. '

Well narrated and written

I enjoyed this book. Didn't have the can't put it down feeling, but was well written and interesting.

A Must-Read/Listen for all Start-ups

As an entrepreneur, this book was extremely insightful and inspiring on many levels. I have already shared with others and look forward to listening again. Well done Brad Stone and Dean Temple.

#MYLE
#MakeYourLifeEntertaining
@MYLEMARKERS

Interesting Narration of incidents as it happened

This book is an interesting narration of the incidents leading to forming of business like Uber and Airbnb. If you like reading such books then its for you.

entertaining read

Easy to follow and not filled with many technical details. Describes the challenges these companies faced, many of which you had not access to unless you were an insider at that time.

Overextended

In total, the book is interesting, but could be shorter. In any case, good reading for understanding Uber's and AirBnB business approach, crucial role of entrepreneurship, struggling in political level for business development.

very interesting!

I thought it was good but it felt like it could've been trimmed down a little bit. that being said well worth the read!