The Upstarts : How Uber, Airbnb, and the Killer Companies of the New Silicon Valley Are Changing the World
Original Author: Brad Stone
Translator: Li Fangling Publisher: Commonwealth Publishing
Publication Date: 2017/06/29
Book Recommendation Website: http://moo.im/a/gmnpuA
Preface:
I remember I also read a book about Uber before, called "Wild Ride: Lessons Behind Uber's Rise in Market Value, 20x Growth in 3 Years, and Becoming a Global Trouble Maker (Wild Ride)". It focused a lot on the founder - Kalanick, but it didn't describe in detail the main reasons for Uber's rapid development in cities, and how it survived amidst legal challenges and protests from taxi drivers.
So I chose to read this book, besides wanting to understand more details about Uber. I also hope to understand Airbnb's process of becoming famous.
Content Summary:
Uber and Airbnb, why do they bring innovation and also create unrest?
How did two side projects become a strategic asset worth billions of dollars?
Without a car or a house, how can they hold the top spot in the market?
The world's first authorized interview biography of Uber and Airbnb, giving you the most in-depth, first-hand interviews and observations.
Regulations can't keep up with the times, but you can't fall behind the times,
After reading this book, you will examine your company and work with a new perspective
Summary from Readmoo: http://moo.im/a/gmnpuA
(The above is a video introducing this book from Commonwealth Publishing)
Because the two companies were founded around the same time, but the process of their founding and the challenges they faced were quite similar, the author interestingly used three stages to describe these two companies.
Part 1: Side Projects
One of the founders of Uber - Kalanick is an entrepreneur who had a successful entrepreneurial experience. But at the beginning of Uber's establishment, he actually had several new venture investment opportunities in hand.
Airbnb was just three founders looking for a place to stay for a conference, and they discovered this business opportunity and founded the company.
Initially, the founders of both companies started with side projects.
Part 2: Building Kingdoms
The second stage is the important time for the two companies, which is due to the circumstances. It led to the rapid development of the two companies, and through this opportunity, they built their own related kingdoms.
Airbnb encountered the presidential election, so there was more demand for short-term rentals. Airbnb also gradually grew during this time, becoming a dominant force. But it was also at this time that it was suddenly discovered that Airbnb's total market value had already surpassed that of Sheraton, Hyatt, and other well-known hotel companies, but Airbnb did not have its own hotels, and did not have its own safety measures, so it faced great challenges.
The ride-hailing app Uber also developed rapidly in the United States, one of the reasons being that the United States was too strict in issuing taxi licenses and required a lot of application fees. The rapid development also made Uber subject to protests from the taxi industry, and strong backlash was received throughout the United States.
Part 3: The Trials of Startups
The third part mentions a more interesting part, what methods did the two startups use to gain a leading position and competitive advantage?
Uber used the "Sky Eye System", which continuously tracks the movements of every driver. Through these methods, vehicles can be arranged more effectively, but it has also been questioned and protested for personal privacy. And Uber's more aggressive and arrogant competitive methods have also been said to have some gender discrimination controversies in the office culture.
And Airbnb also often uses the sharing economy during the entrepreneurial process, and even packages the idea that every person who rents out a house is happy to share. But when real rental problems occur, they often don't come out to help those who rent out the houses solve the problems.
These handling methods are quite interesting, and I highly recommend taking a good look.
Thoughts:
This book is about two startups that have broken the human way of thinking - the "sharing economy", and it is also a new challenge to the law. Airbnb represents shared housing, but it has brought protests from short-term rentals and hotel operators. Uber represents shared vehicles, but it has also encountered protests and questions from taxi operators in various countries.
The two companies have been questioned by various laws, but the two companies have very different personalities because of their founders, and their responses are also different.
Airbnb CEO - Chesky is romantic by nature, and he built a community through the utopian dream of the sharing economy. Uber founder - Kalanick is combative and smart by nature, and he used Uber drivers to put pressure on them politically.
The two companies' handling methods are very different, but they are both very worth learning and understanding.
The content of the book is quite a lot, and the narrative is also very detailed, so you can understand the ins and outs of many things, which is highly recommended.
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