Brief Announcement: No Book On Uber

I have a brief announcement to make. Last year, in the fall of 2014, I became interested in digging more into the factors in the world that helped give rise to a company like Uber. That interest grew to the point where I considered the idea of writing something more formal about it, and while I thankfully didn’t commit to a publisher (I talked to a few), I did commit to all of you that I’d write an e-book about it.

And, I started to. I had the outline done, and the first few chapters drafted. But, I will admit, two things occurred — one, the company itself is turning into an even bigger force than I had envisioned a year ago, and covering it is not only a full-time job (for someone else), but probably a task on that’s equivalent on difficulty scale as being a foreign bureau chief for a major newspaper in a different country. Two, I have some (good) changes coming up in work and in life that were somewhat unforeseen, and I need to focus my energies on these more immediate tasks.

So, with that, I cannot write the book I intended to. I just don’t have the time I thought I would have to devote to it. I will continue to write about aspects of the company, and while I’m sure at least 1-2 professional authors will write a book about Uber, the company itself — which was never an interest of mine — I’ll continue to blog shorter pieces about the underlying dynamics that have given rise to the Ubers, Postmates, and Sprigs of the world. The book about Uber should really be the domain of someone who is fully committed and focused on that singular task — it is as complicated as writing about one huge country with a global presence, and when that book’s eventually written, I will scurry to buy a copy and devour it.