New York Times reporter Mike Isaac is writing a book about Uber

The Uber story has crazy ambition, betrayal, sex, deceit, naked power grabs, and lots and lots and lots of money.

Should be a book, right?

Yes, says New York Times reporter Mike Isaac, who is writing a book about Uber.

It’s for publisher W. W. Norton, and he thinks it will be out in 2019. It doesn’t have a name yet. Perhaps you have some suggestions.

Mike — let’s drop the conceit that I’m writing dispassionately about this, because Mike and I used to work together and we’re still friends — has done excellent work covering the Uber story for the past few years. So it makes sense that he’d want to write a book about it.

On the other hand! It’s 2017. How do you write a book about something that’s happening now, that people will want to read in two years?

“It’s a good question,” Mike says. “Which means, I hate your question.”

Thanks, Mike!

Mike then explains that he’s thinking about ideas and themes that will extend beyond Uber’s story. Like, “Can I take lessons from the disasters that happened at Uber and say what it says about Silicon Valley — like how founders have been given total control of their companies and how that’s maybe a mistake?”

Good start.

Adam Tow

Mike also points out, while not comparing himself to Andrew Ross Sorkin and Michael Lewis, that Andrew Ross Sorkin (“Too Big to Fail” ) and Michael Lewis (“The Big Short”) did a great job of writing books about the 2008 financial collapse, two or three years after the fact.

Is Uber participating? Well, they’re not not participating, since Mike is reporting about them on a day-to-day basis.

But it’s not the kind of book that depends on full behind-the-scenes access, anyway. “I do have good relations with the folks there. They know it might not be the most flattering book, but I don’t think they’ll totally shut me out.”

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

Will you join us?

Our biggest supporters are our readers — and we’re so grateful to everyone who has made a contribution during our September campaign. We’re less than 1,000 contributions away from reaching our goal for the month, which in turn will allow us to say yes more often when our incredible journalists come to us with questions they want to answer and projects they want to pursue. Will you make a contribution before the month ends and support our policy coverage through 2024 and beyond?

One-Time Monthly Annual

$5/month

$10/month

$25/month

$50/month

Other

$

Yes, I'll give $5/month

Yes, I'll give $5/month

We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via