Super Pumped: The Battle For Uber

Super Pumped (TV Series 2022– ) - IMDb 

Super Pumped: The Battle For Uber is a new show that came out for Showtime Networks that currently has one seasons, but has been approved for a second, and is about one of Silicon Valley's most successful, but also most destructive startups, Uber. The show is centred around Uber's CEO Travis Kalanick and his relationship with mentors, employees, confidantes and his attitude that the only thing that matters is his companies success. In addition to that, the shows displays a lot of controversial moments that happened during the rise of Uber which ultimately led to Travis Kalanick being ousted from his own company by his board. The show has a star studded cast with Joseph-Levitt Gordon portraying Travis Kalanick, Kyle Chandler as Kalanick's mentor Bill Gurley, and Uma Thurman as Adrianna Huffington. This series goes over the ups and downs of one of the most popular companies in our world today and gives an inside look at the people running it behind the scenes. 

Do you use Uber or another ride sharing service like Lyft?

Do you think after watching the show or learning about it you may change your mind about Uber or would it not affect your opinion and usage of Uber?

Do you think that the story behind Uber is similar to a lot of other startups that get very successful very quickly? Or is it because of how the people that were involved got along with one another?

Comments

  1. Benhur G.April 18, 2022 at 8:58 PM

    Hi Peter,

    Great post! I do tend to use Ubers every here and there when I am not able to get a ride from a friend and must absolutely get somewhere. However, I am not a huge fan of using Uber because the costs always seem way too high for the short trips I typically need. I do think that the story behind Uber does happen often in other startups as their key organizational and Human Resources must be similar. In the reading by James Barron and Michael Hannan, we learned about the ways different startups focus their resources and organize their employees. In the case of Uber, the focus is strictly on results and all the superiors of each worker is looking over their shoulder to make sure that the brand is being pushed forward. I think this creates the toxic work environments where everyone hates their boss like in Ubers case.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownApril 19, 2022 at 6:31 AM

    Hi! I always user Uber compared to Lyft as it is more recognized, which I feel is more safe. I would defiantly be interested in watching this show as it would give me a behind the scenes view of Uber. I dont think after watching it, it would make me to stop using the company, as every company has its up and downs (ie. Facebook, Amazon). I also agree with Benhur about how the company being so results focused, which makes the employees hate their boss, creating a toxic work environment. What do you think Uber could do to improve this? - Julia

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Common Sense is Subjective

Image
After watching the Elizabeth Holmes documentary, this week’s readings which I originally found boring, suddenly gained my interest. I believe the video did a great job in tying in the readings on the subject of ethical issues within tech companies with a modern example.  One of the things I found interesting was the idea that when an ideology becomes well known to the point that it becomes common sense, is when it becomes powerful. This can be seen with Wendy Liu’s adventure so far, as there are many ideologies that she experiences. The main ideology which I believe relates to all of this, is her belief of meritocracy. It seemed to be common sense to her that she deserved to earn the money that she did when she interned at Google, even though she felt unfulfilled in some way. She based this belief off of the high value of her work, as well as the effort she put into enhancing her coding skills. In the Elizabeth Holmes video, we can also see an example of ideology becoming common se...
Read more
Image
With 50% of its residents born beyond the borders of Canada, Toronto is undoubtedly an international metropolis. Because of its colleges, corporate offices, and worker-friendly immigration laws, Toronto is becoming a digital magnet for start-ups similar to Silicon Valley. Miami and Austin have both been dubbed the "new Silicon Valley," with residents able to work from the pool or the beach.  However, evidence reveals that Toronto has them beat. According to The New York Times, Toronto is growing faster than both cities and is currently North America's third-largest tech powerhouse, after New York and Silicon Valley. Is this wave of talent a fad or a competitive advantage entrenched into Canadian immigration policy? YouTube Is Toronto The Next Silicon Valley?
Read more