Super Pumped (2022) s01e01 Episode Script
Grow or Die
1
So you want to work for Uber.
I have one question for you.
Are you an asshole?
Sorry, one sec.
You got a thing?
Quentin has a thing, yeah.
Addresses the safety issue.
Fuck that. We don't have time
for safety bullshit.
We got taxi commissions
across the land
trying to chip our beef.
We got journalists trying
to infiltrate our shit.
- We got
- We got passenger safety issues
- that we need to address
- Graves, here,
is what my mom would call
a piece of work.
This guy answered a tweet
that I sent on a whim
looking for a killer.
I made him CEO
for about three minutes,
until I realized
this was a real company.
Then I took the job.
And now he does this and that,
some important things.
Apparently he's our new
safety czar.
Safety? Dude, you know how many
rides we're doing every day.
It's over a million.
No matter how we vet
these fucking drivers,
there's gonna be a guy
who had a bad morning,
he got horny,
he forgot to jerk off,
he makes a pass at a passenger.
Suddenly that's my fault?
The press makes it out
like getting in one of our cars
is like walking
through Times Square
at 2:00 in the morning in 1976.
There's more important
shit than safety
TK, you're gonna love my nuts.
It solves the public
perception problem
and adds to the bottom line.
It's a Safe Rides Fee, TK.
We drop those words in the app,
add a dollar to every ride.
We can make a
Like a driver training video
or something,
and the rest of it
Wow.
I do love your nuts.
Let me English this
shit up for those of you too
trusting of a smiling face
to get the actual fucking drift.
That Safe Rides Fee provides
one thing and one thing only,
and it ain't a safe
motherfucking ride.
It's your money in their
goddamn bank account.
Just because they hide it
in the fine print of an app
don't mean it ain't a scam.
That is some
Michael fucking Eisner shit.
Matt, what do you think?
It seems maybe misleading.
Is that okay?
"Is that okay?" Yeah, dude,
it's fucking brilliant.
Do you know the name
Michael Eisner?
It's the guy that ran Disney.
When he first started, parking
at the theme parks was free.
His first year on the job,
he starts charging
$1 per car to park,
goes up and up and up
from there.
People freak the fuck out.
They're, like,
kicking and screaming
and "This is un-American,"
but what did they do?
They kept parking
at fucking Disneyland
because they want to see Goofy.
I mean, they need to see Goofy.
It's for their kids, right?
We are Goofy, and Minnie
and fucking Mickey Mouse
all rolled up into one.
Once we get them in our car,
we can charge whatever
we want to the next time.
You have the green light
on the Safe Rides Fee.
Dude, that is hundreds
of millions of dollars,
those three words together.
Nice work.
You didn't answer my question
from before.
Are you an asshole?
I just I know that look
on your face.
You're like, "I think I know
what I want to say,
but I'm not sure
if I should say it."
I recognize that look.
You know why?
Because before all of this,
it was on my face too.
What do you think?
Gray or
Gray?
They called it charcoal
when I bought it.
- Looks gray to me.
- Okay.
I really don't think you can
go wrong within the three shades
of the color palette
you're debating.
How is it?
What?
So, what do you know?
About Bill Gurley?
Well, Benchmark is one
of the top venture capital firms
in the whole valley.
If they invest in us,
we are minted.
If they pass,
then we stink like roadkill.
And Bill Gurley
is the shot caller.
Shot caller.
He's actually
literally a baller.
Literally a baller.
- Played in college.
- You gonna talk sports with him?
I think he'd be more
into his Valley highlight reel.
Don't you think?
- Uh, eBay?
- Yeah, exactly.
They put in
six and a half million.
Oof. What's it worth now? Four?
Five billion.
Yeah, if Benchmark comes in
on UberCab,
- we are
- Minted. You said.
- Yeah, yeah.
- You get upped.
- They open the books.
- Made.
This has got to work.
I don't know, though.
He's just gonna see a guy
in his lame jeans
and these fucking shoes.
I don't know
what these shoes are.
Nah, he'll see
you're a dun-colored mare.
- What?
- From Raise High the Roof Beam?
Salinger. Don't worry,
you'll read it later.
What it means
is your ideas will matter.
Not your clothes.
He'll see that.
What are you doing tonight?
Reading up on this new
cancer drug
before I get ready to take
it public.
I'm just gonna throw this guy
so much attitude,
he won't even pay attention
to the clothes.
Don't be the Winston Wolf cool
version of Travis.
Be open.
Show him that you're vulnerable,
and need his money
and his protection.
- This could be the one, Bill.
- Could be.
Leaves a lot of room for the
other side of that wager, Bill.
Is that where you land, Fenton?
Just a little less bullish
than he is.
We're talking about committing
millions of dollars
and our reputational capital
on this guy.
To his product.
And it is a great product.
Yep, UberCab is solid.
Tech could really
be something.
And we like this space.
But why not Cabulous
or Taxi Magic?
How do we know this Kalanick guy
is the chosen one?
So we got point.
What's counterpoint?
He's the counterpoint.
I made the original point.
Look, Bill, something is going
to pop in the space.
- This guy's reputation
- You know how it goes with me.
Travis and I start completing
each other's sentences, well
Look, a unicorn will take flight
in this sector.
Someone will make a hundred-X
return on their investment.
But is this Travis guy the kind
of person who can ride one?
I'll just be like one of those
sheriffs in the Westerns.
Stand back six paces
and stare him right in the eyes.
And shoot him?
You know, at Benchmark Capital,
we don't shoot founders.
We leave that to Sequoia.
Here he is.
Mr. Gurley.
Just Bill.
Everybody's got the numbers
on the company,
so I'm not gonna
grill you on that.
All that studying for nothing.
But I do want to understand
how it is that you see yourself
growing into the role of CEO.
Not every founder can.
First day out of high school,
LeBron James had a meeting
at Reebok.
He took the bus there.
It's all he could afford.
And he was sitting
at the longest
conference table in the world
with the CEO.
And they're talking,
and LeBron notices,
oh, the CEO's starting
to write something.
And then the CEO gets up
and he walks the length
of this whole table,
and he drops a check
in front of him for $10 million.
Now, it's only
the two of them in there,
and, uh, LeBron's only 18.
And the way he tells it,
he almost took the check, right?
He almost started crying.
It was everything he ever worked
for in his life
just suddenly made manifest
in front of him.
But he didn't.
He stood up
and he walked out.
Strong move.
Yeah, the man understood
his value, right?
And eventually,
he signed for much more
with the place
he wanted to be: Nike.
But first, he had to ride
the bus a few more times
to get to the Bentleys
and the PJs.
But you're not walking out.
No.
Because you're not just some VC.
You're Nike.
And I know it.
You know, maybe we don't sell
each other tonight.
Just
We just talk a bit.
If I were selling you,
you'd have your wallet out.
No, I'm I'm
I'm here in the spirit
of connection.
And in that spirit,
I'll tell you,
I believe I have underachieved
in my potential as a leader.
But if I had a mentor,
like you
there is no limit to where
this thing could go.
How do you think your
drivers would describe
their relationship
with the company?
There we've done it right.
Our drivers
- Are your army.
- That's what I was gonna say.
Our army. And I believe
an army with a full belly
Is an army that can win.
Yes.
Yes, sir, and that part,
it's not just
self-serving either.
It's a big part of
the whole motivation for me.
I really believe this service
can be a true value,
can be so good
for so many people,
so many groups of people.
Ever since the very beginning,
from the first time
I had the idea.
Well, from
um, from when Garrett Camp
and I had the idea.
I bet.
We were in Paris
at the top
of the Eiffel Tower.
And I remember
it just came to me in a burst.
I saw a way to upend
the wage slavery
of the taxi business.
You know, to democratize
the entire industry
for the good of those
hardworking drivers
as well as for the passengers.
I saw it all from above.
A new form
of transportation, yes,
but also a way for people
to make it on their own terms.
You know,
a mom who can just work
while her kids are at school,
or a dad who can
turn off the app
when it's time
for family dinner.
So, yeah, that's the basic idea.
It's people driving people.
A car always within minutes.
A private chauffeur,
but only when you need it.
So the cost is minimal.
A real disruptor
for the taxi space.
I just need an operations
type to run it,
and there's no one better
than you.
Yeah, you might
You might have something.
A lot of work
to make that real, though.
A lot of work.
And Garrett contributed
a lot too, absolutely.
Well, it's good of you
to make sure
that he shares
in the credit.
Of course, yeah.
No, you got to.
Right?
But at that point,
it was just a matter
of getting the angel investors
on board and, you know,
when they saw how sticky
this product is
What do you say we get
into the real questions?
Sure.
Are you willing to work
with the outside money?
Listen to wise counsel?
I will always listen,
and I'll take good ideas.
But I will never
take orders.
I can't.
Good.
I don't give orders.
Good.
What else do you need to know?
How sticky is it?
Really.
If someone rides twice,
we have them for life.
That's some evening.
I might've had
a one-few too many.
I think I might leave
my car here tonight.
Hey, taxi!
You know, I have a solution
for this particular problem.
Now, these things
rebooted everything, right?
And
What, you just?
Yeah, like magic.
Travis?
Very nice.
You moved to the city
after Scour?
Yeah. That was my
My first startup.
Peer-to-peer media
file sharing.
That didn't turn out?
No, it didn't.
Because of Mike Ovitz.
You shopped the fucking deal.
In the world I come from,
that name made titans weak.
Now, Silicon Valley
gets to deal with him.
You refused to close terms
for months.
You said you were gonna invest,
but the money never came.
We were bleeding out,
so eventually,
I had to go looking
for other sources of funding,
and then you fucking sued?
That's what you do when
you're getting screwed.
You're getting screwed?
You sued your own company
so it would take your money,
but it's money
you didn't want to give.
A child can never understand
the motives of a man.
Just as the samurai
can never question his lord.
You know to this day, in Japan,
if a salaryman screws up
at work, he says,
"I offer to cut my belly open."
They own their mistakes.
They don't blame
their betters.
I am not, and I will never be,
a salaryman.
That's true.
Salarymen at least, uh,
have a steady income.
Yeah, they also live
by a code which you do not.
I mean, you leaked the story,
and now no one will touch us.
You drove a fucking stake
through the heart of this
That's right.
And it'll just go
on and on, boyo,
until you have no choice
but to sell it for parts.
Nobody shops a deal
on Mike Ovitz.
And when you look back
on it all,
you'll only have
yourself to blame.
You're just gonna
let the car go?
How are you gonna get home?
You're not sleeping here are ya'?
No, I'll just get another one.
It's easy.
Boss doesn't pay?
How does that work for morale?
I'm paid in full. It's a frictionless
experience for every passenger.
Credit card's on file. You just get
out of the car, get on with your life.
It should feel like it's free.
It's just easy.
Tip?
No, our rev share is so good,
our drivers don't need tips.
Hell.
Bill, I just want to tell you.
I am not going to lose
my company
from the inside ever again.
You can rest easy,
because at Benchmark
Yeah. You don't fire founders.
There we go finishing
each other's sentences.
So are we doing this?
You need my money, right?
I don't need shit.
I'm gonna take this thing the
whole way with or without you.
Well then,
you do it without me.
You don't need to do that.
I see you.
I get there's no company
without you.
So about my money?
I would like it, yes.
Yeah, one last question.
Threshold.
This whole private cab thing
in the long run
it's gonna be
declared legal?
Bet your ass.
All right, that wasn't
the last question.
This is:
The W always has cabs
waiting outside.
You paid them not to be around,
didn't you?
What the hell do you think?
But you, you weren't really as
drunk as you let on, were you?
What the hell do you think?
I think
you're my new VC.
That's what I think too.
Guys, big news.
Bill Gurley and Benchmark
is an investor.
Okay.
Well, that sounds
That's good, right?
- Dad, like I just got signed by the Dodgers.
- Hey, hey!
Don't touch me, I'm too hot.
You're gonna burn yourself. Like that!
Okay, mister.
How about a hug hello
before you start braying?
He's excited.
You used to get that way
when you closed a huge sale.
That's why you were
such a killer.
Well, I just want him to know
that he does not have to have
good news
to come and visit.
We're happy
to see you anytime.
And we miss you.
Okay.
But, Trav, you are a killer.
Just like your mama.
This is no, it's really big.
It's a big deal.
Yeah, the press is gonna have to
write something nice about you
for a change.
Uh-huh. Yeah, maybe not yet,
but they will.
Sounds good, though.
So how much of a piece
does this guy get?
His company gets a chunk,
but the valuation goes up.
And I'm still
the majority owner, Dad.
How's Angie?
How come she's not here?
Well, she, um
- Hey.
- What's up, big bro?
How you doing, Cory?
Heard the next
Zuckerberg was in town,
- so I figured I'd come say hi.
- You say that with a tone of
sarcasm, but I bet Randi
Zuckerberg didn't.
That's why she got
that big chunk of preferred
in the friends and family round.
My piece is locked.
Is it? Are you sure?
- Trav!
- What? Me? Him?
The fuck did I do?
Fine, I'll be
your doting sister.
I'll knit you a hoodie,
so you look just like him.
Why don't we just
let it die, okay?
Sure thing, Zuck.
All right, enough.
You know, your brother
just cut a big deal
to bankroll his company.
- What, the cab thing?
- It's a capital investment.
It's not a bankroll.
There's a difference.
- Congrats, Trav. Sounds good.
- Thank you.
You know,
Cory's kicking butt too.
Cory, show him the thing.
- Uh, no, it's silly.
- Oh, come on.
- All right.
- What's that, a body cam?
Yeah, the squad got them
from the company,
and we mounted them
to our helmets last shift.
Look, look at that.
Oh, the poor little thing
looks dead.
No, look, it's coming around.
A real American hero, huh?
Yeah, how cool that both
of my boys are kicking ass.
Yeah. You show that clip
to the ladies, watch out.
Oh, what would you know
about that, Donald?
I used to.-
All right.
Breakfast is ready.
Oh, Cory, do me a favor.
Give me a copy of that clip.
I'd love to show it at work.
Yeah, you should
send it to me too.
I'm gonna show it
to people and be like,
"I know that guy."
That's what a supportive
brother does.
Good, you can get in on the
friends and family sloppy joes
- down the station.
- Sweet.
Cory, Trav,
we have one family breakfast
every three months
at this point.
Could we maybe chill
on the cage match?
We have hardly
seen you lately.
Where is my son
hiding you?
- We've been busy.
- You work too hard.
That's the problem
with you Silicon Valley types.
Are you sure that
you're taking care of you
and not just him?
You know,
he can be pretty consuming.
Yes, I know.
I'm okay. Really.
You sure?
Welcome to the Rider
Appreciation Party.
I am legit super pumped
to be here tonight
and to be part
of this company.
You know, I wish
I would be so happy
if I could just make
all of your lives frictionless.
Right? Can you imagine, like,
if you wanted a raise,
and you didn't even have to say
anything to your boss,
you just look at him and boom,
there it was.
You know what I mean?
Or like if you wanted a date,
just swipe right
and there's the other party
in your room, down for whatever.
Right?
Now, unfortunately,
I cannot control all of these
experiences, or not yet.
But what I can control
is the experience
of getting from one end of town
to the other end of town
with no hassle on either end.
You're in, you're out.
You don't have to touch
your cash or your wallet
or your credit card
or the driver.
So drink up,
because DUls
are a thing of the past!
Great time, you guys!
Hey, thanks.
- That was so good.
- Oh, thank you.
Where's Cory?
He, uh
Wow! Okay. I'm
I'm gonna get some air.
- You want me to?
- No. No, it's all right.
If you wanted Cory here,
you could have
invited him directly.
I invited all you guys.
Don't make everything a test.
It shouldn't fucking have to be.
You're doing it
all wrong, son.
You don't recognize me?
My name's on some
correspondences
that will put you
out of business.
Oh. You're Pearson?
The transportation guy
for the city.
Pearson. Randall Pearson,
that's right.
And I'm telling you,
you're fucking up.
You know,
I've heard that so much
in my life.
I should get it tattooed
on my ass and take a picture,
make it my profile photo.
But you know
what I'm gonna do instead?
I'm gonna keep
building my company,
and then you can get
an ass tattoo that says.
"Travis Kalanick
is a better man than me."
No tattoos for me, thanks.
'Cause I have some
personal pride.
- Do you? Working where you work?
- Listen, Travis,
let's try and act sane
for maybe five minutes
like a couple
of goddamn grownups?
I represent some
very powerful individuals
in the taxi
and livery business.
People who don't take too kindly
to their drivers
being stolen.
Even less so when
it's their customers.
You know, as the head of the San
Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency,
your mandate is to represent
the public,
not powerful individuals.
Yeah, well, the public interest
is served by having available
and inexpensive taxicabs
readily av
Look, Travis,
this can go
so hard for you.
Buried in fines,
lawsuits, jail.
Or you can win huge
with me.
Give them your tech.
Put it in their cars,
in their fucking taxis.
Join forces.
They'll make it
real sweet for you.
You'll end up controlling
so many medallions.
They'll be jingling in
your pockets like loose change.
I think this must have been
what it was like
when Homo sapiens were
running around together
with Neanderthals.
You're asking me to trade
my fire for your fucking club.
No, thanks.
You're making a big mistake.
I'll put that
on my other ass cheek.
Yeah, no, I get it.
No the thing is,
When I say I get it,
that means I get it.
Okay.
This is the kid you're
interviewing for the job.
Great. Pull up a chair.
Here is my question for you.
Are you an asshole?
Sorry.
- Are you the CEO?
- I am.
This is an order
to cease and desist
all taxi and livery operations.
- You arresting me?
- Not at this time, sir.
But if you continue
in violation of city ordinance,
we'll be back.
This is bad, TK.
- This is a cease
- We're not ceasing.
- And desist
- We're not desisting either.
- It threatens up to
- Yeah, I see.
There's penalties.
Up to $5,000 per instance
of UberCabs operation.
"Instance" meaning
each ride.
Ninety days in jail
per day
the company remains in operation
past the order.
That's me in jail?
Yeah, that's you in jail, man.
Anything you could sign
so it's you instead of me?
Jesus, no.
I I mean, I can No
I'm fucking kidding, Gil.
Don't worry about it.
But I am more
Emerson than Thoreau.
I do not want to go to jail.
Hey, everybody!
You heard about this already?
I want you to know this
truncheon of the crooked
establishment, this object of fear,
I want you to know this is not
our death warrant.
This is our goddamn
birth certificate, okay?
This means we are alive
in this world,
and we are growing the fuck up.
It's a sign of validation.
And it's a sign
that we are scaring
the taxi and livery industry,
and the transportation agency,
and the status quo shitless.
This is validation
of our standing as
disruptors.
Austin, how's it going
with our future drivers?
You're getting them?
Got a bunch.
Did you settle
with the city?
Oh, no, no, we're
not settling with the city.
We are taking this city!
Are you sure, TK?
You know what they say
about fighting city hall.
See, this is the thing
about changing the world.
The world never wants to change.
It's gonna dig in its heels
and tell you no
and try to crush you.
Fortunately for us, we are in
the world-changing business.
At least I am.
I was built for this!
They want to fight?
Oh, I love to fight.
You want to know
who wins fights?
Whoever wants it more.
And who do you think
wants this more?
Them?
Or me?
Let's fucking go!
Come on!
Let's fucking go!
Let's fucking go!
Penny, get me a meeting
with the mayor
and order more iPhones.
We need to ratchet up
enlisting more drivers.
Made me wise.
But I'm not
About to give thanks.
Or apologize.
Shape up, boys.
I need five minutes.
Nah, fuck that.
You need the five minutes
that I'm about to give you.
What is this, huh?
We don't have time.
Of course you don't have time
because you're
indentured servants
if you're human at all.
Because really, you're more
like hamsters on a wheel.
Who are you calling a rodent?
No, no, no.
You're making
yourselves rodents.
Look, you got to run, run,
run all day long
just to make enough fares
to cover your nut
during your shift,
with pissed-off customers
because the commission
hiked the fares,
or to pay off the loans
on your medallions,
or the consortiums
that own the medallions
on the hacks that you drive.
Or to make enough
from the limo company
so that your piece is enough
so you can afford some
food pellets and wood shavings
for your cages
at the end of the week.
Tell me I'm wrong.
So, yeah, you can.
You know, hustle out there
and get at it.
Or you could stay here
for five minutes
and hear about being
your own boss,
and driving with a company
that's gonna change
your fucking lives.
I could use a change.
Enmity gauged.
United by fear.
Time to endure.
What I could not forgive.
We're making progress.
I didn't say you were wrong.
Just what you're saying
is irrelevant.
Here.
Mayor?
Nothing yet.
Try again.
We don't have to tell you
just how much in contributions
our clients have made.
No, you don't.
Then you tell us something,
like what you're gonna do,
because right now,
this goddamn company
is stealing drivers
from legitimate taxi and livery.
It's chipping away
at a legacy business.
There are two jobs you want
in this city:
The mayor's and mine.
I'm like Robert Moses
in The Old Man in Chinatown.
You really think I'm gonna let
some tech weasel
grab my dick like a baton,
twirl it around
in Golden Gate Park?
What's your next step then?
What are you going to do?
Question mark.
What I'm gonna do is drop
a thermonuclear device
right on top of their heads.
The San Francisco Municipal
Transportation Agency has those?
Close enough.
Right now, I expect
a duck-and-cover drill
taking place
over there at UberCab,
right before the mushroom cloud
turns them all into dust.
Tough to have a car service
without any fucking drivers.
All right, what?
What's the emergency?
It's the fucking drivers.
They're defecting.
That's what the incentives
are for.
- Pay them more.
- Gil said we can't.
And without those incentives,
they're leaving in droves.
- They're going back to taxis.
- That's Randall fucking Pearson.
He's making his last stand.
Gil, why are you cutting off
the incentives?
Because we don't have
the money to pay them.
And without drivers, we'll never
have any fucking money.
- Right?
- He can't, TK.
We don't have it. Our burn rate
is bleeding the company dry.
Maybe it's time
we make a deal with Pearson.
Maybe we do just license
our tech, combine our forces
Wait, wait. That's giving up.
Are you fucking insane?
No, that's not insane.
That's reality.
Because we're down to smoke
and mirrors and promises.
I don't know how we're gonna
keep the lights on next month
Okay.
unless we make some
kind of a deal
- with the taxi commissi
- Okay, okay.
Okay.
All right.
We are not that kind
of company
that just bends over
to the status quo.
We fuck the status quo, right?
Now, I'm hearing a lot about
what surrender looks like.
Looks like me on my knees with
Pearson pissing in my mouth.
We're not doing that.
Tell me what victory
looks like.
Well, I guess we can't,
or we wouldn't be sitting here.
All right,
we're gonna take money
from other departments.
We have.
Stop paying the vendors
just for a minute.
Gurley.
Go to him,
ask him for another check,
just to ride us out
through this fight
with San Francisco Transport.
That's the one thing
I can't do.
We'd look like fucking idiots.
Or I would.
Like we're failing.
Because we are.
So that's it?
That's all you got for me?
Buy a Powerball ticket. I
This company, my life,
is on the line here
right now,
and you motherfuckers
Yeah, and all of you too!
You just leave
everything to me, right?
You just come to work,
and you lounge around
with your thumbs up your ass.
You don't do anything.
You don't fucking
bleed for it.
You're not
You're not super pumped.
Hi, Travis.
Hey, Mom.
What's going on?
I was just thinking about Cory.
How do you sleep at night,
him doing what he does?
Well, once you have kids,
you don't really
sleep a full night again.
You'll see that one day.
Seriously, though.
Seriously.
This is not about Cory, huh?
Yeah, I know, uh
I, um
I yelled.
At Angie?
No.
Everybody.
Travis, you can't do that.
Yeah, I know.
I don't I don't know
what the fuck's wrong with me.
I don't know
why I keep doing that.
It's just like why can't
they just watch what I do
and do what I say and
And believe what I know,
and why can't they just
fucking trust me?
What did you yell about?
We're up against it.
I thought the company
was doing great.
It is, kind of,
but there's this thing
called burn rate,
and, um
Yeah.
I need more money.
Like, now.
Can you go to a bank?
No. Not for this much, no.
What about your investor,
Gurley?
You have not asked him?
No. No, I can't go to him.
If I went to him right now,
he would just think
I was a fuckup.
He'd see these numbers
and he'd just shut me down
and probably sell me off
for parts.
Okay, your brother is great
at the thing he does.
It's a straightforward thing.
Hard to do, easy to measure.
Your thing isn't.
But you're also great at it.
You brought
this Bill Gurley in,
you built a company
that he liked.
So now, you got to do
what Cory does with his guys.
You got to treat him like
you're all on the same team.
You know, tell him what's going
on and what you need.
What if he says no?
Sometimes, to get what you want,
you got to give what you want.
You're wondering
why they don't trust you.
Well, believe me,
they're wondering the
same thing about you.
Why should Bill Gurley trust you
if you don't trust him?
The burn rate.
I'm, uh, hesitant
to talk about it.
I can see that.
Also, I wanted to come here
and have a conversation
face-to-face about it.
Um, the money we are spending
Spent, we spent it, I did.
Is to get the riders
in the car
All startups that are expanding
go through serious burn.
What are we
dealing with here?
I'm reluctant
to say the numbers.
Um, here
Well, Jesus.
I can see why you would think
that's unsustainable.
Is that what you think?
I think that top sheet's about
as ugly as a horned toad's ass.
That sounds ugly.
You ever seen
a horned toad's ass?
Can you picture
Joakim Noah's jumper?
Fugly. Yeah.
This is like that.
You're wondering
whether this is the moment.
I shoot you or sell
your company for parts?
Yeah, just hearing you
say those words
You know, if I don't
give you this funding,
the people you work with,
they're gonna start
updating their résumés and
they are gonna light out.
Hell, even if I do,
they probably already started.
So let me ask you, is that you?
Smart, talented guy.
Are you looking
for a soft spot to land?
Me? No fucking way.
No, this is the hill I die on.
There is no other company
startup or otherwise for me.
This is all I've got.
Good. What did I tell you
from the beginning?
No way I sell it out.
Is that because I'm a good guy?
No. I mean, I am a good guy.
That's not the reason.
Does the heroin dealer giveaway
the first taste of his product
out of the goodness
of his heart for free?
No, he does not.
This is that.
We put as much money
as we need to
into getting people
into those cars,
and we got them.
We charge anything we want.
Cigarettes, the best
business in the world
till people start getting sued
and having to pay
for the settlements.
But what we're
doing with UberCab
sure as hell isn't giving
anyone cancer.
So you're gonna keep
bankrolling us?
- You're gonna come in for more?
- Grow or die.
Listen, it wasn't easy,
you coming in here like this.
I get that.
And I appreciate it.
I respect that.
We're partners.
And you got your check.
Thank you.
I want you to have something.
A full access card.
You come and go at
UberCab as you please.
You're one of us.
Travis.
This money
it'll only go so far.
This is the last of it.
You hardly touched
your bento box.
Yes, I'm sorry.
You usually crush the tempura,
not even that.
Just not hungry.
You sounded
so excited earlier
after talking to Gurley.
Yeah, guess it wore off.
Reality set in.
Why don't you leave this
here and come home?
- Get a few hours sleep
- Nah, sorry.
I'm just gonna stay till I can
think of a way to take the city.
This is our
proof-of-concept moment.
You know, last go-round before
we're out of dry powder,
and the mayor
won't even talk to me.
Look, you know your history.
And you know people.
Reagan showing strength
to Gorbachev in Geneva
by going without his coat
in the freezing cold, right?
Gates promising
he'd deliver the OS
before he even started it.
Hamilton agreeing to move
the actual White House.
Power is fluid.
Use that.
Use all of it.
The riders.
They're not just
what we need.
They are our power.
We enlist them
against the politicians.
Get the mayor to talk to me?
No, he's gonna beg me
to talk to him.
We need to let
those fuckers in office know
that the voters
are with us.
What do you do when
you get kicked in the balls
by a hobnailed boot?
Roll around and groan?
Well, the motherfuckers
who run startups,
this motherfucker,
eats it with a smile
and keeps on going.
I'm at peace, I'm the man.
Buying stocks on the day
Of the crash, yeah.
On the loose, I'm a truck.
All the rolling hills
I'll flatten them out, yeah.
More petitions coming in.
It's evolution, baby.
There's no top.
We didn't have enough
to fill the last boxes.
Yeah, but still,
that's a lot of signatures.
Yeah, but a pyramid
has to have a point.
Really, TK? Ringers?
- Yeah.
- What if they check?
Then we become baristas.
Well, shit,
I already tried that.
Didn't really work out.
Point.
Okay.
You said it loud and clear
with these petitions.
Now, say it even louder.
Let us ride!
Let us ride! Let us ride!
Let us ride!
The mayor
is willing to meet.
Yes.
I'm going in!
Don't worry,
I have prepped the mayor
as to exactly how we feel
about your little enterprise.
But at the risk
of having you
clutter up our offices
any further,
I figured I'd say hello.
And a quick goodbye,
because as Mr. Pearson said
Horseshit.
There were piles of it
all along the streets
of this fine city, from Lombard
down to Lincoln Way.
Literally horseshit.
Until the horse and carriage
got replaced by the streetcar.
You don't think those teamsters
were bitching back then?
Because they were,
but John Geary,
the first mayor of this town,
he saw the future.
And he made it so.
Of course, the future
doesn't last, right?
And pretty soon,
Jitneys came into fashion,
which obliterated
the cable car,
turned it into
a tourist attraction.
But that's because
the mayor then, James Rolph,
he saw that for a nickel,
you could take a Jitney anywhere
you wanted to go in the city.
As long as you don't mind riding
along with some other lugs
and stopping
wherever they want to stop,
which is why the Jitney gave way
to the buses and the BART,
and of course,
taxicabs, right?
Blessed taxis, in which you can
ride princely and alone
as long as the meter
is running.
And as long
as the medallion owner
and the San Francisco Municipal
Transportation Agency
takes their bites.
So for a while times were fat,
and everybody ate.
But just like all those other
modes of transport,
eventually the dying day comes.
And that is where we are today
with Mayor Ed Lee in charge,
and now it's his chance
to glimpse the future,
usher it in,
because this is what
we are offering.
This is the future
of passenger traveling
in a private vehicle for a fee
driven by a private citizen
who earns that fee.
It is winners and commerce
on both sides of the equation.
The question
you have to ask yourself is:
Does Mayor Ed Lee wanna
go down in the history books
as an innovator,
or does he want to let
these beautiful streets
of San Francisco get flooded
with horseshit one more time?
Because that is what the SFMTA
and the taxi lobbies
are peddling.
Horseshit.
The city has been taken!
Great. That's great.
Full stop. But
Okay, wait, you can't say
"full stop" and then say "but."
That's
But what about the fines?
No, dude,
the mayor loves us now.
He's gonna push legislation
our way, all right?
Future fines unlikely.
Great. So prior fines?
Pearson was there.
I think he thinks
we still owe the money.
Oh. What'd he say?
"You still owe
the fucking money."
Great.
I think this is gonna be a great
thing for the both of you.
For everybody.
Full access? Nice.
That's the kind of relationship
I build with all my founders.
If the door isn't open
to me and vice versa,
something's wrong.
So, what does Travis
think of this?
We'll find out
when I tell him.
Look, if we do
what you're saying,
- and we pay these fines
- Yeah, and if we don't,
we're right back in those waters
where we drown.
- Okay, well I'm not paying them.
- Then they're gonna take
the fixtures off the ceiling
to sell them.
We're in a vise.
Whoop. There it is.
Perfect.
Come on in.
Might as well do this
while we still have
office furniture.
Sit down.
Where did we leave off?
You asked me a question
that I didn't have
a chance to answer.
Great. And what is the answer?
Hey, I understand
congratulations are in order.
Bill. Yes, they are.
Good to see you.
Who's this?
This is the answer
to your burn rate problem.
Meet Emil Michael,
best dealmaker in the valley,
and your new raise wingman.
Now that you've, uh,
taken over San Francisco,
it's time that we, uh,
go to the outside investors,
tackle the other cities.
Grow or die, right?
Welcome aboard.
Bill, thank you so much.
Your support is
It's just always
so appreciated.
Anything I can do to help.
Take care.
I'll let you get to it.
What the fuck are you
really doing here?
You a spy?
You here to replace me?
Whoa, I'm
I'm just here to help,
like Bill said.
Yeah, I've heard
that bullshit before.
It's not happening
in my company.
I don't expect
you to trust me.
I expect you to test me.
Give me that.
We have to respond to this
bullshit by end of business,
or else this company
that you're spying on right now
won't exist anymore.
What do you got?
You're this big dealmaker.
You make us a deal,
get us out from under
these fines,
settle us out,
pennies on the dollar, what?
The San Francisco MTA
regulates taxicabs.
And so, yeah, UberCab
is up to its ass in fines
and facing
existential threat.
- Gil?
- Yeah?
UberCab,
and all of its corresponding
regulatory problems
and liabilities
is hereby shut down,
inoperative and defunct.
Okay.
Why didn't I think of that?
A crucial question
for another day, Gil.
So we're not
a cab company anymore?
You never were.
So no cab regulators can reg us.
Sharp.
Ginsu sharp, yeah.
We are a ride-sharing service.
They're gonna say that's fraud.
- I mean, it might be fraud.
- Why?
Because I'm not willing
to recognize
that some taxi authority
has jurisdiction over us?
Let them call it fraud
and you know what?
To the end, Gil,
re-paper us as a new entity
called Uber.
Uber what?
Yeah.
Nothing. Just Uber.
When I came into this,
I was ready to break shit,
because that is what
revolution requires.
But you know what?
I forgot that for a second.
But our new friend Emil here
just reminded me.
- Go.
- Okay.
I'm supposed
to say yes, aren't I?
That I'm an asshole.
Well, I am.
I'm an asshole.
That's the right answer.
Because if you're not,
you'll never make it at Uber.
We should hire this guy up.
Kelsey, can you bring him
to Gil?
Make sure he signs an NDA.
Congratulations.
Go.
All right, bro,
are you ready?
'Cause next, we're taking
New York, and then Paris,
then Berlin, then Mumbai,
and then Tokyo,
and then rest
of the fucking world.
Then we take Berlin.
I'm guided by a signal.
In the heavens.
I'm guided by
This birthmark.
On my skin.
I'm guided by the beauty.
Of our weapons.
First we take Manhattan.
Then we take Berlin.
I'd really like to live
Beside you, baby
So you want to work for Uber.
I have one question for you.
Are you an asshole?
Sorry, one sec.
You got a thing?
Quentin has a thing, yeah.
Addresses the safety issue.
Fuck that. We don't have time
for safety bullshit.
We got taxi commissions
across the land
trying to chip our beef.
We got journalists trying
to infiltrate our shit.
- We got
- We got passenger safety issues
- that we need to address
- Graves, here,
is what my mom would call
a piece of work.
This guy answered a tweet
that I sent on a whim
looking for a killer.
I made him CEO
for about three minutes,
until I realized
this was a real company.
Then I took the job.
And now he does this and that,
some important things.
Apparently he's our new
safety czar.
Safety? Dude, you know how many
rides we're doing every day.
It's over a million.
No matter how we vet
these fucking drivers,
there's gonna be a guy
who had a bad morning,
he got horny,
he forgot to jerk off,
he makes a pass at a passenger.
Suddenly that's my fault?
The press makes it out
like getting in one of our cars
is like walking
through Times Square
at 2:00 in the morning in 1976.
There's more important
shit than safety
TK, you're gonna love my nuts.
It solves the public
perception problem
and adds to the bottom line.
It's a Safe Rides Fee, TK.
We drop those words in the app,
add a dollar to every ride.
We can make a
Like a driver training video
or something,
and the rest of it
Wow.
I do love your nuts.
Let me English this
shit up for those of you too
trusting of a smiling face
to get the actual fucking drift.
That Safe Rides Fee provides
one thing and one thing only,
and it ain't a safe
motherfucking ride.
It's your money in their
goddamn bank account.
Just because they hide it
in the fine print of an app
don't mean it ain't a scam.
That is some
Michael fucking Eisner shit.
Matt, what do you think?
It seems maybe misleading.
Is that okay?
"Is that okay?" Yeah, dude,
it's fucking brilliant.
Do you know the name
Michael Eisner?
It's the guy that ran Disney.
When he first started, parking
at the theme parks was free.
His first year on the job,
he starts charging
$1 per car to park,
goes up and up and up
from there.
People freak the fuck out.
They're, like,
kicking and screaming
and "This is un-American,"
but what did they do?
They kept parking
at fucking Disneyland
because they want to see Goofy.
I mean, they need to see Goofy.
It's for their kids, right?
We are Goofy, and Minnie
and fucking Mickey Mouse
all rolled up into one.
Once we get them in our car,
we can charge whatever
we want to the next time.
You have the green light
on the Safe Rides Fee.
Dude, that is hundreds
of millions of dollars,
those three words together.
Nice work.
You didn't answer my question
from before.
Are you an asshole?
I just I know that look
on your face.
You're like, "I think I know
what I want to say,
but I'm not sure
if I should say it."
I recognize that look.
You know why?
Because before all of this,
it was on my face too.
What do you think?
Gray or
Gray?
They called it charcoal
when I bought it.
- Looks gray to me.
- Okay.
I really don't think you can
go wrong within the three shades
of the color palette
you're debating.
How is it?
What?
So, what do you know?
About Bill Gurley?
Well, Benchmark is one
of the top venture capital firms
in the whole valley.
If they invest in us,
we are minted.
If they pass,
then we stink like roadkill.
And Bill Gurley
is the shot caller.
Shot caller.
He's actually
literally a baller.
Literally a baller.
- Played in college.
- You gonna talk sports with him?
I think he'd be more
into his Valley highlight reel.
Don't you think?
- Uh, eBay?
- Yeah, exactly.
They put in
six and a half million.
Oof. What's it worth now? Four?
Five billion.
Yeah, if Benchmark comes in
on UberCab,
- we are
- Minted. You said.
- Yeah, yeah.
- You get upped.
- They open the books.
- Made.
This has got to work.
I don't know, though.
He's just gonna see a guy
in his lame jeans
and these fucking shoes.
I don't know
what these shoes are.
Nah, he'll see
you're a dun-colored mare.
- What?
- From Raise High the Roof Beam?
Salinger. Don't worry,
you'll read it later.
What it means
is your ideas will matter.
Not your clothes.
He'll see that.
What are you doing tonight?
Reading up on this new
cancer drug
before I get ready to take
it public.
I'm just gonna throw this guy
so much attitude,
he won't even pay attention
to the clothes.
Don't be the Winston Wolf cool
version of Travis.
Be open.
Show him that you're vulnerable,
and need his money
and his protection.
- This could be the one, Bill.
- Could be.
Leaves a lot of room for the
other side of that wager, Bill.
Is that where you land, Fenton?
Just a little less bullish
than he is.
We're talking about committing
millions of dollars
and our reputational capital
on this guy.
To his product.
And it is a great product.
Yep, UberCab is solid.
Tech could really
be something.
And we like this space.
But why not Cabulous
or Taxi Magic?
How do we know this Kalanick guy
is the chosen one?
So we got point.
What's counterpoint?
He's the counterpoint.
I made the original point.
Look, Bill, something is going
to pop in the space.
- This guy's reputation
- You know how it goes with me.
Travis and I start completing
each other's sentences, well
Look, a unicorn will take flight
in this sector.
Someone will make a hundred-X
return on their investment.
But is this Travis guy the kind
of person who can ride one?
I'll just be like one of those
sheriffs in the Westerns.
Stand back six paces
and stare him right in the eyes.
And shoot him?
You know, at Benchmark Capital,
we don't shoot founders.
We leave that to Sequoia.
Here he is.
Mr. Gurley.
Just Bill.
Everybody's got the numbers
on the company,
so I'm not gonna
grill you on that.
All that studying for nothing.
But I do want to understand
how it is that you see yourself
growing into the role of CEO.
Not every founder can.
First day out of high school,
LeBron James had a meeting
at Reebok.
He took the bus there.
It's all he could afford.
And he was sitting
at the longest
conference table in the world
with the CEO.
And they're talking,
and LeBron notices,
oh, the CEO's starting
to write something.
And then the CEO gets up
and he walks the length
of this whole table,
and he drops a check
in front of him for $10 million.
Now, it's only
the two of them in there,
and, uh, LeBron's only 18.
And the way he tells it,
he almost took the check, right?
He almost started crying.
It was everything he ever worked
for in his life
just suddenly made manifest
in front of him.
But he didn't.
He stood up
and he walked out.
Strong move.
Yeah, the man understood
his value, right?
And eventually,
he signed for much more
with the place
he wanted to be: Nike.
But first, he had to ride
the bus a few more times
to get to the Bentleys
and the PJs.
But you're not walking out.
No.
Because you're not just some VC.
You're Nike.
And I know it.
You know, maybe we don't sell
each other tonight.
Just
We just talk a bit.
If I were selling you,
you'd have your wallet out.
No, I'm I'm
I'm here in the spirit
of connection.
And in that spirit,
I'll tell you,
I believe I have underachieved
in my potential as a leader.
But if I had a mentor,
like you
there is no limit to where
this thing could go.
How do you think your
drivers would describe
their relationship
with the company?
There we've done it right.
Our drivers
- Are your army.
- That's what I was gonna say.
Our army. And I believe
an army with a full belly
Is an army that can win.
Yes.
Yes, sir, and that part,
it's not just
self-serving either.
It's a big part of
the whole motivation for me.
I really believe this service
can be a true value,
can be so good
for so many people,
so many groups of people.
Ever since the very beginning,
from the first time
I had the idea.
Well, from
um, from when Garrett Camp
and I had the idea.
I bet.
We were in Paris
at the top
of the Eiffel Tower.
And I remember
it just came to me in a burst.
I saw a way to upend
the wage slavery
of the taxi business.
You know, to democratize
the entire industry
for the good of those
hardworking drivers
as well as for the passengers.
I saw it all from above.
A new form
of transportation, yes,
but also a way for people
to make it on their own terms.
You know,
a mom who can just work
while her kids are at school,
or a dad who can
turn off the app
when it's time
for family dinner.
So, yeah, that's the basic idea.
It's people driving people.
A car always within minutes.
A private chauffeur,
but only when you need it.
So the cost is minimal.
A real disruptor
for the taxi space.
I just need an operations
type to run it,
and there's no one better
than you.
Yeah, you might
You might have something.
A lot of work
to make that real, though.
A lot of work.
And Garrett contributed
a lot too, absolutely.
Well, it's good of you
to make sure
that he shares
in the credit.
Of course, yeah.
No, you got to.
Right?
But at that point,
it was just a matter
of getting the angel investors
on board and, you know,
when they saw how sticky
this product is
What do you say we get
into the real questions?
Sure.
Are you willing to work
with the outside money?
Listen to wise counsel?
I will always listen,
and I'll take good ideas.
But I will never
take orders.
I can't.
Good.
I don't give orders.
Good.
What else do you need to know?
How sticky is it?
Really.
If someone rides twice,
we have them for life.
That's some evening.
I might've had
a one-few too many.
I think I might leave
my car here tonight.
Hey, taxi!
You know, I have a solution
for this particular problem.
Now, these things
rebooted everything, right?
And
What, you just?
Yeah, like magic.
Travis?
Very nice.
You moved to the city
after Scour?
Yeah. That was my
My first startup.
Peer-to-peer media
file sharing.
That didn't turn out?
No, it didn't.
Because of Mike Ovitz.
You shopped the fucking deal.
In the world I come from,
that name made titans weak.
Now, Silicon Valley
gets to deal with him.
You refused to close terms
for months.
You said you were gonna invest,
but the money never came.
We were bleeding out,
so eventually,
I had to go looking
for other sources of funding,
and then you fucking sued?
That's what you do when
you're getting screwed.
You're getting screwed?
You sued your own company
so it would take your money,
but it's money
you didn't want to give.
A child can never understand
the motives of a man.
Just as the samurai
can never question his lord.
You know to this day, in Japan,
if a salaryman screws up
at work, he says,
"I offer to cut my belly open."
They own their mistakes.
They don't blame
their betters.
I am not, and I will never be,
a salaryman.
That's true.
Salarymen at least, uh,
have a steady income.
Yeah, they also live
by a code which you do not.
I mean, you leaked the story,
and now no one will touch us.
You drove a fucking stake
through the heart of this
That's right.
And it'll just go
on and on, boyo,
until you have no choice
but to sell it for parts.
Nobody shops a deal
on Mike Ovitz.
And when you look back
on it all,
you'll only have
yourself to blame.
You're just gonna
let the car go?
How are you gonna get home?
You're not sleeping here are ya'?
No, I'll just get another one.
It's easy.
Boss doesn't pay?
How does that work for morale?
I'm paid in full. It's a frictionless
experience for every passenger.
Credit card's on file. You just get
out of the car, get on with your life.
It should feel like it's free.
It's just easy.
Tip?
No, our rev share is so good,
our drivers don't need tips.
Hell.
Bill, I just want to tell you.
I am not going to lose
my company
from the inside ever again.
You can rest easy,
because at Benchmark
Yeah. You don't fire founders.
There we go finishing
each other's sentences.
So are we doing this?
You need my money, right?
I don't need shit.
I'm gonna take this thing the
whole way with or without you.
Well then,
you do it without me.
You don't need to do that.
I see you.
I get there's no company
without you.
So about my money?
I would like it, yes.
Yeah, one last question.
Threshold.
This whole private cab thing
in the long run
it's gonna be
declared legal?
Bet your ass.
All right, that wasn't
the last question.
This is:
The W always has cabs
waiting outside.
You paid them not to be around,
didn't you?
What the hell do you think?
But you, you weren't really as
drunk as you let on, were you?
What the hell do you think?
I think
you're my new VC.
That's what I think too.
Guys, big news.
Bill Gurley and Benchmark
is an investor.
Okay.
Well, that sounds
That's good, right?
- Dad, like I just got signed by the Dodgers.
- Hey, hey!
Don't touch me, I'm too hot.
You're gonna burn yourself. Like that!
Okay, mister.
How about a hug hello
before you start braying?
He's excited.
You used to get that way
when you closed a huge sale.
That's why you were
such a killer.
Well, I just want him to know
that he does not have to have
good news
to come and visit.
We're happy
to see you anytime.
And we miss you.
Okay.
But, Trav, you are a killer.
Just like your mama.
This is no, it's really big.
It's a big deal.
Yeah, the press is gonna have to
write something nice about you
for a change.
Uh-huh. Yeah, maybe not yet,
but they will.
Sounds good, though.
So how much of a piece
does this guy get?
His company gets a chunk,
but the valuation goes up.
And I'm still
the majority owner, Dad.
How's Angie?
How come she's not here?
Well, she, um
- Hey.
- What's up, big bro?
How you doing, Cory?
Heard the next
Zuckerberg was in town,
- so I figured I'd come say hi.
- You say that with a tone of
sarcasm, but I bet Randi
Zuckerberg didn't.
That's why she got
that big chunk of preferred
in the friends and family round.
My piece is locked.
Is it? Are you sure?
- Trav!
- What? Me? Him?
The fuck did I do?
Fine, I'll be
your doting sister.
I'll knit you a hoodie,
so you look just like him.
Why don't we just
let it die, okay?
Sure thing, Zuck.
All right, enough.
You know, your brother
just cut a big deal
to bankroll his company.
- What, the cab thing?
- It's a capital investment.
It's not a bankroll.
There's a difference.
- Congrats, Trav. Sounds good.
- Thank you.
You know,
Cory's kicking butt too.
Cory, show him the thing.
- Uh, no, it's silly.
- Oh, come on.
- All right.
- What's that, a body cam?
Yeah, the squad got them
from the company,
and we mounted them
to our helmets last shift.
Look, look at that.
Oh, the poor little thing
looks dead.
No, look, it's coming around.
A real American hero, huh?
Yeah, how cool that both
of my boys are kicking ass.
Yeah. You show that clip
to the ladies, watch out.
Oh, what would you know
about that, Donald?
I used to.-
All right.
Breakfast is ready.
Oh, Cory, do me a favor.
Give me a copy of that clip.
I'd love to show it at work.
Yeah, you should
send it to me too.
I'm gonna show it
to people and be like,
"I know that guy."
That's what a supportive
brother does.
Good, you can get in on the
friends and family sloppy joes
- down the station.
- Sweet.
Cory, Trav,
we have one family breakfast
every three months
at this point.
Could we maybe chill
on the cage match?
We have hardly
seen you lately.
Where is my son
hiding you?
- We've been busy.
- You work too hard.
That's the problem
with you Silicon Valley types.
Are you sure that
you're taking care of you
and not just him?
You know,
he can be pretty consuming.
Yes, I know.
I'm okay. Really.
You sure?
Welcome to the Rider
Appreciation Party.
I am legit super pumped
to be here tonight
and to be part
of this company.
You know, I wish
I would be so happy
if I could just make
all of your lives frictionless.
Right? Can you imagine, like,
if you wanted a raise,
and you didn't even have to say
anything to your boss,
you just look at him and boom,
there it was.
You know what I mean?
Or like if you wanted a date,
just swipe right
and there's the other party
in your room, down for whatever.
Right?
Now, unfortunately,
I cannot control all of these
experiences, or not yet.
But what I can control
is the experience
of getting from one end of town
to the other end of town
with no hassle on either end.
You're in, you're out.
You don't have to touch
your cash or your wallet
or your credit card
or the driver.
So drink up,
because DUls
are a thing of the past!
Great time, you guys!
Hey, thanks.
- That was so good.
- Oh, thank you.
Where's Cory?
He, uh
Wow! Okay. I'm
I'm gonna get some air.
- You want me to?
- No. No, it's all right.
If you wanted Cory here,
you could have
invited him directly.
I invited all you guys.
Don't make everything a test.
It shouldn't fucking have to be.
You're doing it
all wrong, son.
You don't recognize me?
My name's on some
correspondences
that will put you
out of business.
Oh. You're Pearson?
The transportation guy
for the city.
Pearson. Randall Pearson,
that's right.
And I'm telling you,
you're fucking up.
You know,
I've heard that so much
in my life.
I should get it tattooed
on my ass and take a picture,
make it my profile photo.
But you know
what I'm gonna do instead?
I'm gonna keep
building my company,
and then you can get
an ass tattoo that says.
"Travis Kalanick
is a better man than me."
No tattoos for me, thanks.
'Cause I have some
personal pride.
- Do you? Working where you work?
- Listen, Travis,
let's try and act sane
for maybe five minutes
like a couple
of goddamn grownups?
I represent some
very powerful individuals
in the taxi
and livery business.
People who don't take too kindly
to their drivers
being stolen.
Even less so when
it's their customers.
You know, as the head of the San
Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency,
your mandate is to represent
the public,
not powerful individuals.
Yeah, well, the public interest
is served by having available
and inexpensive taxicabs
readily av
Look, Travis,
this can go
so hard for you.
Buried in fines,
lawsuits, jail.
Or you can win huge
with me.
Give them your tech.
Put it in their cars,
in their fucking taxis.
Join forces.
They'll make it
real sweet for you.
You'll end up controlling
so many medallions.
They'll be jingling in
your pockets like loose change.
I think this must have been
what it was like
when Homo sapiens were
running around together
with Neanderthals.
You're asking me to trade
my fire for your fucking club.
No, thanks.
You're making a big mistake.
I'll put that
on my other ass cheek.
Yeah, no, I get it.
No the thing is,
When I say I get it,
that means I get it.
Okay.
This is the kid you're
interviewing for the job.
Great. Pull up a chair.
Here is my question for you.
Are you an asshole?
Sorry.
- Are you the CEO?
- I am.
This is an order
to cease and desist
all taxi and livery operations.
- You arresting me?
- Not at this time, sir.
But if you continue
in violation of city ordinance,
we'll be back.
This is bad, TK.
- This is a cease
- We're not ceasing.
- And desist
- We're not desisting either.
- It threatens up to
- Yeah, I see.
There's penalties.
Up to $5,000 per instance
of UberCabs operation.
"Instance" meaning
each ride.
Ninety days in jail
per day
the company remains in operation
past the order.
That's me in jail?
Yeah, that's you in jail, man.
Anything you could sign
so it's you instead of me?
Jesus, no.
I I mean, I can No
I'm fucking kidding, Gil.
Don't worry about it.
But I am more
Emerson than Thoreau.
I do not want to go to jail.
Hey, everybody!
You heard about this already?
I want you to know this
truncheon of the crooked
establishment, this object of fear,
I want you to know this is not
our death warrant.
This is our goddamn
birth certificate, okay?
This means we are alive
in this world,
and we are growing the fuck up.
It's a sign of validation.
And it's a sign
that we are scaring
the taxi and livery industry,
and the transportation agency,
and the status quo shitless.
This is validation
of our standing as
disruptors.
Austin, how's it going
with our future drivers?
You're getting them?
Got a bunch.
Did you settle
with the city?
Oh, no, no, we're
not settling with the city.
We are taking this city!
Are you sure, TK?
You know what they say
about fighting city hall.
See, this is the thing
about changing the world.
The world never wants to change.
It's gonna dig in its heels
and tell you no
and try to crush you.
Fortunately for us, we are in
the world-changing business.
At least I am.
I was built for this!
They want to fight?
Oh, I love to fight.
You want to know
who wins fights?
Whoever wants it more.
And who do you think
wants this more?
Them?
Or me?
Let's fucking go!
Come on!
Let's fucking go!
Let's fucking go!
Penny, get me a meeting
with the mayor
and order more iPhones.
We need to ratchet up
enlisting more drivers.
Made me wise.
But I'm not
About to give thanks.
Or apologize.
Shape up, boys.
I need five minutes.
Nah, fuck that.
You need the five minutes
that I'm about to give you.
What is this, huh?
We don't have time.
Of course you don't have time
because you're
indentured servants
if you're human at all.
Because really, you're more
like hamsters on a wheel.
Who are you calling a rodent?
No, no, no.
You're making
yourselves rodents.
Look, you got to run, run,
run all day long
just to make enough fares
to cover your nut
during your shift,
with pissed-off customers
because the commission
hiked the fares,
or to pay off the loans
on your medallions,
or the consortiums
that own the medallions
on the hacks that you drive.
Or to make enough
from the limo company
so that your piece is enough
so you can afford some
food pellets and wood shavings
for your cages
at the end of the week.
Tell me I'm wrong.
So, yeah, you can.
You know, hustle out there
and get at it.
Or you could stay here
for five minutes
and hear about being
your own boss,
and driving with a company
that's gonna change
your fucking lives.
I could use a change.
Enmity gauged.
United by fear.
Time to endure.
What I could not forgive.
We're making progress.
I didn't say you were wrong.
Just what you're saying
is irrelevant.
Here.
Mayor?
Nothing yet.
Try again.
We don't have to tell you
just how much in contributions
our clients have made.
No, you don't.
Then you tell us something,
like what you're gonna do,
because right now,
this goddamn company
is stealing drivers
from legitimate taxi and livery.
It's chipping away
at a legacy business.
There are two jobs you want
in this city:
The mayor's and mine.
I'm like Robert Moses
in The Old Man in Chinatown.
You really think I'm gonna let
some tech weasel
grab my dick like a baton,
twirl it around
in Golden Gate Park?
What's your next step then?
What are you going to do?
Question mark.
What I'm gonna do is drop
a thermonuclear device
right on top of their heads.
The San Francisco Municipal
Transportation Agency has those?
Close enough.
Right now, I expect
a duck-and-cover drill
taking place
over there at UberCab,
right before the mushroom cloud
turns them all into dust.
Tough to have a car service
without any fucking drivers.
All right, what?
What's the emergency?
It's the fucking drivers.
They're defecting.
That's what the incentives
are for.
- Pay them more.
- Gil said we can't.
And without those incentives,
they're leaving in droves.
- They're going back to taxis.
- That's Randall fucking Pearson.
He's making his last stand.
Gil, why are you cutting off
the incentives?
Because we don't have
the money to pay them.
And without drivers, we'll never
have any fucking money.
- Right?
- He can't, TK.
We don't have it. Our burn rate
is bleeding the company dry.
Maybe it's time
we make a deal with Pearson.
Maybe we do just license
our tech, combine our forces
Wait, wait. That's giving up.
Are you fucking insane?
No, that's not insane.
That's reality.
Because we're down to smoke
and mirrors and promises.
I don't know how we're gonna
keep the lights on next month
Okay.
unless we make some
kind of a deal
- with the taxi commissi
- Okay, okay.
Okay.
All right.
We are not that kind
of company
that just bends over
to the status quo.
We fuck the status quo, right?
Now, I'm hearing a lot about
what surrender looks like.
Looks like me on my knees with
Pearson pissing in my mouth.
We're not doing that.
Tell me what victory
looks like.
Well, I guess we can't,
or we wouldn't be sitting here.
All right,
we're gonna take money
from other departments.
We have.
Stop paying the vendors
just for a minute.
Gurley.
Go to him,
ask him for another check,
just to ride us out
through this fight
with San Francisco Transport.
That's the one thing
I can't do.
We'd look like fucking idiots.
Or I would.
Like we're failing.
Because we are.
So that's it?
That's all you got for me?
Buy a Powerball ticket. I
This company, my life,
is on the line here
right now,
and you motherfuckers
Yeah, and all of you too!
You just leave
everything to me, right?
You just come to work,
and you lounge around
with your thumbs up your ass.
You don't do anything.
You don't fucking
bleed for it.
You're not
You're not super pumped.
Hi, Travis.
Hey, Mom.
What's going on?
I was just thinking about Cory.
How do you sleep at night,
him doing what he does?
Well, once you have kids,
you don't really
sleep a full night again.
You'll see that one day.
Seriously, though.
Seriously.
This is not about Cory, huh?
Yeah, I know, uh
I, um
I yelled.
At Angie?
No.
Everybody.
Travis, you can't do that.
Yeah, I know.
I don't I don't know
what the fuck's wrong with me.
I don't know
why I keep doing that.
It's just like why can't
they just watch what I do
and do what I say and
And believe what I know,
and why can't they just
fucking trust me?
What did you yell about?
We're up against it.
I thought the company
was doing great.
It is, kind of,
but there's this thing
called burn rate,
and, um
Yeah.
I need more money.
Like, now.
Can you go to a bank?
No. Not for this much, no.
What about your investor,
Gurley?
You have not asked him?
No. No, I can't go to him.
If I went to him right now,
he would just think
I was a fuckup.
He'd see these numbers
and he'd just shut me down
and probably sell me off
for parts.
Okay, your brother is great
at the thing he does.
It's a straightforward thing.
Hard to do, easy to measure.
Your thing isn't.
But you're also great at it.
You brought
this Bill Gurley in,
you built a company
that he liked.
So now, you got to do
what Cory does with his guys.
You got to treat him like
you're all on the same team.
You know, tell him what's going
on and what you need.
What if he says no?
Sometimes, to get what you want,
you got to give what you want.
You're wondering
why they don't trust you.
Well, believe me,
they're wondering the
same thing about you.
Why should Bill Gurley trust you
if you don't trust him?
The burn rate.
I'm, uh, hesitant
to talk about it.
I can see that.
Also, I wanted to come here
and have a conversation
face-to-face about it.
Um, the money we are spending
Spent, we spent it, I did.
Is to get the riders
in the car
All startups that are expanding
go through serious burn.
What are we
dealing with here?
I'm reluctant
to say the numbers.
Um, here
Well, Jesus.
I can see why you would think
that's unsustainable.
Is that what you think?
I think that top sheet's about
as ugly as a horned toad's ass.
That sounds ugly.
You ever seen
a horned toad's ass?
Can you picture
Joakim Noah's jumper?
Fugly. Yeah.
This is like that.
You're wondering
whether this is the moment.
I shoot you or sell
your company for parts?
Yeah, just hearing you
say those words
You know, if I don't
give you this funding,
the people you work with,
they're gonna start
updating their résumés and
they are gonna light out.
Hell, even if I do,
they probably already started.
So let me ask you, is that you?
Smart, talented guy.
Are you looking
for a soft spot to land?
Me? No fucking way.
No, this is the hill I die on.
There is no other company
startup or otherwise for me.
This is all I've got.
Good. What did I tell you
from the beginning?
No way I sell it out.
Is that because I'm a good guy?
No. I mean, I am a good guy.
That's not the reason.
Does the heroin dealer giveaway
the first taste of his product
out of the goodness
of his heart for free?
No, he does not.
This is that.
We put as much money
as we need to
into getting people
into those cars,
and we got them.
We charge anything we want.
Cigarettes, the best
business in the world
till people start getting sued
and having to pay
for the settlements.
But what we're
doing with UberCab
sure as hell isn't giving
anyone cancer.
So you're gonna keep
bankrolling us?
- You're gonna come in for more?
- Grow or die.
Listen, it wasn't easy,
you coming in here like this.
I get that.
And I appreciate it.
I respect that.
We're partners.
And you got your check.
Thank you.
I want you to have something.
A full access card.
You come and go at
UberCab as you please.
You're one of us.
Travis.
This money
it'll only go so far.
This is the last of it.
You hardly touched
your bento box.
Yes, I'm sorry.
You usually crush the tempura,
not even that.
Just not hungry.
You sounded
so excited earlier
after talking to Gurley.
Yeah, guess it wore off.
Reality set in.
Why don't you leave this
here and come home?
- Get a few hours sleep
- Nah, sorry.
I'm just gonna stay till I can
think of a way to take the city.
This is our
proof-of-concept moment.
You know, last go-round before
we're out of dry powder,
and the mayor
won't even talk to me.
Look, you know your history.
And you know people.
Reagan showing strength
to Gorbachev in Geneva
by going without his coat
in the freezing cold, right?
Gates promising
he'd deliver the OS
before he even started it.
Hamilton agreeing to move
the actual White House.
Power is fluid.
Use that.
Use all of it.
The riders.
They're not just
what we need.
They are our power.
We enlist them
against the politicians.
Get the mayor to talk to me?
No, he's gonna beg me
to talk to him.
We need to let
those fuckers in office know
that the voters
are with us.
What do you do when
you get kicked in the balls
by a hobnailed boot?
Roll around and groan?
Well, the motherfuckers
who run startups,
this motherfucker,
eats it with a smile
and keeps on going.
I'm at peace, I'm the man.
Buying stocks on the day
Of the crash, yeah.
On the loose, I'm a truck.
All the rolling hills
I'll flatten them out, yeah.
More petitions coming in.
It's evolution, baby.
There's no top.
We didn't have enough
to fill the last boxes.
Yeah, but still,
that's a lot of signatures.
Yeah, but a pyramid
has to have a point.
Really, TK? Ringers?
- Yeah.
- What if they check?
Then we become baristas.
Well, shit,
I already tried that.
Didn't really work out.
Point.
Okay.
You said it loud and clear
with these petitions.
Now, say it even louder.
Let us ride!
Let us ride! Let us ride!
Let us ride!
The mayor
is willing to meet.
Yes.
I'm going in!
Don't worry,
I have prepped the mayor
as to exactly how we feel
about your little enterprise.
But at the risk
of having you
clutter up our offices
any further,
I figured I'd say hello.
And a quick goodbye,
because as Mr. Pearson said
Horseshit.
There were piles of it
all along the streets
of this fine city, from Lombard
down to Lincoln Way.
Literally horseshit.
Until the horse and carriage
got replaced by the streetcar.
You don't think those teamsters
were bitching back then?
Because they were,
but John Geary,
the first mayor of this town,
he saw the future.
And he made it so.
Of course, the future
doesn't last, right?
And pretty soon,
Jitneys came into fashion,
which obliterated
the cable car,
turned it into
a tourist attraction.
But that's because
the mayor then, James Rolph,
he saw that for a nickel,
you could take a Jitney anywhere
you wanted to go in the city.
As long as you don't mind riding
along with some other lugs
and stopping
wherever they want to stop,
which is why the Jitney gave way
to the buses and the BART,
and of course,
taxicabs, right?
Blessed taxis, in which you can
ride princely and alone
as long as the meter
is running.
And as long
as the medallion owner
and the San Francisco Municipal
Transportation Agency
takes their bites.
So for a while times were fat,
and everybody ate.
But just like all those other
modes of transport,
eventually the dying day comes.
And that is where we are today
with Mayor Ed Lee in charge,
and now it's his chance
to glimpse the future,
usher it in,
because this is what
we are offering.
This is the future
of passenger traveling
in a private vehicle for a fee
driven by a private citizen
who earns that fee.
It is winners and commerce
on both sides of the equation.
The question
you have to ask yourself is:
Does Mayor Ed Lee wanna
go down in the history books
as an innovator,
or does he want to let
these beautiful streets
of San Francisco get flooded
with horseshit one more time?
Because that is what the SFMTA
and the taxi lobbies
are peddling.
Horseshit.
The city has been taken!
Great. That's great.
Full stop. But
Okay, wait, you can't say
"full stop" and then say "but."
That's
But what about the fines?
No, dude,
the mayor loves us now.
He's gonna push legislation
our way, all right?
Future fines unlikely.
Great. So prior fines?
Pearson was there.
I think he thinks
we still owe the money.
Oh. What'd he say?
"You still owe
the fucking money."
Great.
I think this is gonna be a great
thing for the both of you.
For everybody.
Full access? Nice.
That's the kind of relationship
I build with all my founders.
If the door isn't open
to me and vice versa,
something's wrong.
So, what does Travis
think of this?
We'll find out
when I tell him.
Look, if we do
what you're saying,
- and we pay these fines
- Yeah, and if we don't,
we're right back in those waters
where we drown.
- Okay, well I'm not paying them.
- Then they're gonna take
the fixtures off the ceiling
to sell them.
We're in a vise.
Whoop. There it is.
Perfect.
Come on in.
Might as well do this
while we still have
office furniture.
Sit down.
Where did we leave off?
You asked me a question
that I didn't have
a chance to answer.
Great. And what is the answer?
Hey, I understand
congratulations are in order.
Bill. Yes, they are.
Good to see you.
Who's this?
This is the answer
to your burn rate problem.
Meet Emil Michael,
best dealmaker in the valley,
and your new raise wingman.
Now that you've, uh,
taken over San Francisco,
it's time that we, uh,
go to the outside investors,
tackle the other cities.
Grow or die, right?
Welcome aboard.
Bill, thank you so much.
Your support is
It's just always
so appreciated.
Anything I can do to help.
Take care.
I'll let you get to it.
What the fuck are you
really doing here?
You a spy?
You here to replace me?
Whoa, I'm
I'm just here to help,
like Bill said.
Yeah, I've heard
that bullshit before.
It's not happening
in my company.
I don't expect
you to trust me.
I expect you to test me.
Give me that.
We have to respond to this
bullshit by end of business,
or else this company
that you're spying on right now
won't exist anymore.
What do you got?
You're this big dealmaker.
You make us a deal,
get us out from under
these fines,
settle us out,
pennies on the dollar, what?
The San Francisco MTA
regulates taxicabs.
And so, yeah, UberCab
is up to its ass in fines
and facing
existential threat.
- Gil?
- Yeah?
UberCab,
and all of its corresponding
regulatory problems
and liabilities
is hereby shut down,
inoperative and defunct.
Okay.
Why didn't I think of that?
A crucial question
for another day, Gil.
So we're not
a cab company anymore?
You never were.
So no cab regulators can reg us.
Sharp.
Ginsu sharp, yeah.
We are a ride-sharing service.
They're gonna say that's fraud.
- I mean, it might be fraud.
- Why?
Because I'm not willing
to recognize
that some taxi authority
has jurisdiction over us?
Let them call it fraud
and you know what?
To the end, Gil,
re-paper us as a new entity
called Uber.
Uber what?
Yeah.
Nothing. Just Uber.
When I came into this,
I was ready to break shit,
because that is what
revolution requires.
But you know what?
I forgot that for a second.
But our new friend Emil here
just reminded me.
- Go.
- Okay.
I'm supposed
to say yes, aren't I?
That I'm an asshole.
Well, I am.
I'm an asshole.
That's the right answer.
Because if you're not,
you'll never make it at Uber.
We should hire this guy up.
Kelsey, can you bring him
to Gil?
Make sure he signs an NDA.
Congratulations.
Go.
All right, bro,
are you ready?
'Cause next, we're taking
New York, and then Paris,
then Berlin, then Mumbai,
and then Tokyo,
and then rest
of the fucking world.
Then we take Berlin.
I'm guided by a signal.
In the heavens.
I'm guided by
This birthmark.
On my skin.
I'm guided by the beauty.
Of our weapons.
First we take Manhattan.
Then we take Berlin.
I'd really like to live
Beside you, baby