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

Brad Stone covers the rise of Uber and Airbnb in the early 2010s, telling how Travis Kalanick, Garrett Camp and the Airbnb founders Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia and Nathan Blecharczyk built companies that took on taxi cartels and hotel rules. He describes early near-failures, such as Airbnb selling cereal boxes to stay afloat, and the fierce fights with regulators, the Silicon Valley investors who backed them and competitors like Lyft. The book also follows how their growth strategies shaped urban life and the gig economy.

Anyone interested in startups, tech business or how a new platform wins a market will find a fast reported account. It reads like a thriller with venture capital.

Outward-looking and clear-cut; a moderate read.

Best for readers like The Practical Optimizer. Which reader are you?