Tech reporter Mike Isaac on whether you can build Uber without being a jerk
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
On this week’s interview episode of The Vergecast, Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel sits down with New York Times reporter Mike Isaac to discuss Uber. Isaac has been reporting on the ride-sharing company for over five years, and he just released a book called Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber that lays out Uber’s rise and controversies.
The conversation covers how Uber got to where it is today, its interactions with companies like Apple and Google, and whether you have to be a “jerk” to start a company that changes the world. Below is a lightly edited excerpt of the conversation.
Nilay Patel: I think the big question raised throughout the book is: do you need to be that kind of founder to will this kind of company into existence?
M...