In ‘Super Pumped,’ the Uber Founder Disrupts His Own Rise
The New York Times
A new Showtime anthology series starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt chronicles the rise of Uber — and the ruthless tactics of its ousted chief executive, Travis Kalanick.
In a scene from Showtime’s new anthology series “Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber,” Travis Kalanick, the ride-sharing company’s controversial founder, strides into the boardroom as the Beastie Boys song “Rhymin & Stealin” blasts on the soundtrack.
Over the next two-and-a-half minutes, Kalanick (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and his right-hand man, Emil Michael (Babak Tafti), proceed to pitch investors, as a supercut of iconic duos like Batman and Robin, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein flashes across the screen.
The high-energy sequence suggests the heroic lens through which Uber’s leaders see themselves. The fact that viewers will interpret the scene very differently speaks to the shift in perception that Silicon Valley and its aspiring world-changers have undergone in pop culture.
