Five years ago in June, Uber launched in San Francisco.

The company has experienced hockey-stick growth, raising $5.9 billion in funding at a $41 billion valuation. Uber is one of the most valuable private tech companies in the world.

But what inspired Uber CEO Travis Kalanick to found his company?

A lot of leaders in Silicon Valley — including Kalanick — have been influenced by Ayn Rand, her novels "Atlas Shrugged" and "The Fountainhead," and the libertarian beliefs espoused within these books. 

We decided to take a look at Rand's books — particularly "The Fountainhead"— to explain why Uber and Kalanick behave the way they do.

Travis Kalanick is a fan of Rand's — but especially "The Fountainhead."

For a while, Kalanick's Twitter avatar was the cover of "The Fountainhead," Rand's tale about the triumph of Howard Roark, a Nietzschean figure.

In an interview with The Washington Post, Kalanick referred to the Twitter avatar, saying: "It's less of a political statement. It's just personally one of my favorite books. I'm a fan of architecture."

So what's the book about, anyway?

Let's dig in ...

The hero of "The Fountainhead" is a principled rebel who refuses to back down from his beliefs, even if it means violating society's rules and norms.

Howard Roark, the protagonist, is a young architect. After several of his projects fall through, he eventually finds himself rising to power when he is on trial for exploding a building he designed that was not constructed according to his plans. At his trial — where things aren't looking good for him — Roark gives a speech about needing to be true to oneself and the value of selfishness. He's found not guilty.

Uber launched in San Francisco five years ago this month.

At the time, it was a small startup called UberCab. Today, Uber is a global company that could be worth as much as $50 billion.

At the helm of the company is Travis Kalanick, Uber's controversial CEO and cofounder. Kalanick can credit his successes to his relentlessness, his competitive spirit, and his unwillingness to negotiate.

Some of his more memorable quotes illustrate Kalanick's thinking, which have ultimately led him to build one of the most valuable privately held tech companies in the world.

On digging in your heels: "Stand by your principles and be comfortable with confrontation. So few people are, so when the people with the red tape come, it becomes a negotiation."

Source.

On politics: "My politics are: I'm a trustbuster. Very focused. And yeah, I'm pro-efficiency. I want the most economic activity at the lowest price possible. It's good for everybody, it's not red or blue."

Source.

On his controversial reputation: "Look, I'm a passionate entrepreneur. I'm like fire and brimstone sometimes. And so there are times when I'll go—I'll get too into the weeds and too into the debate, because I'm so passionate about it."

Source.

On April 26, 1986, a catastrophic accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in northern Ukraine sent radioactive particles into the air, distributing toxic pollution over a vast area. It has gone down as one of the worst disasters of its kind.

Thirty-one people died in the blast, and the long-term effects have been felt ever since. Cancer and other radiation-exposure problems still plague citizens, and contamination in their water and soil remain a burden.

No people know these problems better than those who live near the "Nuclear Exclusion Zone," the area within a 19-mile radius of the plant, where radiation levels are still exceedingly high. Some 350,000 people were forced to evacuate their homes after the accident, and many still form a community on the edge of a wasteland.

Photographer Thom Davies, who is also a trained geographer and ethnographer, has been working to understand and document this community since 2008. As part of his studies, Davies gave people who lived close to the exclusion zone disposable cameras and asked them to document their everyday lives in their extraordinary surroundings.

"The photographs give a rare glimpse into the unseen realities of everyday life in this post-atomic hinterland," Davies says of the project, called "Disposable Citizens.""No one understands the realities of Chernobyl like those who live there."

"There is something truly enigmatic about nuclear landscapes," Davies says when asked why he is drawn to nuclear radiation zones. "They are places where broken science and everyday life have collided, leaving disputed consequences and many unanswered questions."

As a geographer first and a photographer second, Davies tells Business Insider he is "fascinated by the relationship people have with landscape, and in a post-atomic space such as Chernobyl, this relationship becomes strained and contested."

"The invisibility of radiation adds another layer of mystery to these places and the communities who live there," he adds.

In true Don Draper style, the list of executive perks for some of adland's top-ranking executives is swanky to say the least.

Private jet travel, big car allowances, "golden coffins," and corporate apartments make up some of the perks of advertising's rich and famous.

We've ranked the top 10 packages from least to most extravagant, using information from company annual reports and SEC documents. Of course that means that some other expenses — such as wining and dining clients in exclusive restaurants — aren't disclosed. But our ranking gives some indication as to which execs get the best perks (on top of their salaries and bonuses) in the business.

Michael Roth, CEO of IPG: $22,952 in perquisites.

For a CEO, Roth has one of the most modest big holding company perks packages on Madison Avenue.

Of his 2014 "perquisites," $20,000 of that went to a charitable matching program, while $2,592 went on his dental plan.

Dennis Hewitt, treasurer at Omnicom: $29,777 in "other compensation."

In 2014 Hewitt received an auto allowance of $7,200 and a medical allowance of $4,000.

Kevin Roberts, executive chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi: The only member of Publicis Groupe's management team to receive considerable benefits.

Roberts received €23,516 in "benefits in kind" in 2014. Publicis Groupe only reports benefits in kind (which are in relation to use of a company-provided vehicle) if they are for a material amount.

However, as we pointed out in 2012, it is likely an even greater sum of money is spent financing Roberts' air travel for his business trips. He also spends around 250 nights a year in fancy international hotels that often cost more than $600 per night.

Thousands of New York City locals and tourists flooded One World Trade Center on Friday for the public opening of One World Observatory. 

The line to soak in the panoramic views was like waiting to ride Space Mountain at Disney World.

But once you reach the top and remember what used to stand in the observatory's place, you forget about the hour or two it took to get there. 

I arrived at the nation's tallest building — clocking in at 1,776 feet tall — about 40 minutes before the assigned time on my ticket.

After waiting outside for over 30 minutes, with people of all ages and nationalities, I went inside and stood in more lines.

Post-security check, I shuffled through media-walled rooms and learned about the construction of One World Trade. Then I entered a cave-like room made of Manhattan schist, the granite that serves as the building's foundation. Fun fact: The granite is 450 million years old.

Celebrities everywhere are showing off how high-tech they are by wearing the new Apple Watch in public.

Everyone from politicians to sports stars to singers and business executives have Apple Watches. But how much do they cost? We checked out the price of every famous figure's fancy new watch.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev was spotted wearing a space grey Apple Watch in a meeting with Putin. These are worth £339.

Rapper Frank Ocean posted a photo on Tumblr of himself wearing a £339 aluminium Apple Watch with a white strap

Rapper Kid Cudi has a £339 42mm Apple Watch Sport with a blue strap.

With just 35 homes and a population of 86, according to the 2010 census, Indian Creek Village is one of the wealthiest and most exclusive places on the planet.

The village, located on a tiny island in Miami's Biscayne Bay, is home to billionaires and A-listers from business tycoon Carl Icahn to supermodel Adriana Lima.

The enclave's main drag recently topped Zillow's list of the most expensive streets in America, with an average home value of $21.48 million, and it's been dubbed a "billionaire bunker."

But don't plan to take a self-guided tour next time you're in Miami. According to Forbes, "the sole entrance is heavily guarded, and a private police force patrols the island via boat, jeep and Jet Ski 24 hours a day."

This is Indian Creek Island. At .4 square miles, it's one of the smallest, wealthiest, and most exclusive communities in the US. We'll start our tour at the top left corner, and go counterclockwise.

The first home on the island belongs to Norman Braman, a car dealership tycoon. He bought the 8-bedroom house for $3.9 million in 1991. We're fans of all the outdoor sculptures.

Source: Forbes

An unnamed Russian buyer bought the home next door in August 2012 for $47 million, making it the most expensive home ever sold in Miami at the time. Here it is while under construction (and a listing photo, inset).

Source: Forbes

Click here to tour the house >

We all know baby boomers have officially infiltrated Facebook. But when it comes to Snapchat, users skew much younger.

That's why it's so surprising that 67-year-old actor and politician Arnold Schwarzenegger is such a pro when it comes to using the social platform.

The former California governor's username on Snapchat is arnoldschnitzel. Most of the time, he uses his account to promote his upcoming movies, like "Maggie," now that his acting career is heating up again after a hiatus.

From May 27 to May 29, though, he attended the Arnold Classic in Rio de Janeiro, an athletic conference named after Schwarzenegger himself, and posted a ton.

He updated followers constantly each day, regaling them with snaps that showed bodybuilders, keg-throwers, pole dancers and more. 

SEE ALSO: If you look at Rihanna's Instagram and Snapchat accounts side by side, you'll think she's two different people

On Friday, May 29, Schwarzenegger uploaded a video to Snapchat of himself sitting on a bike in Rio and talking about the competition.

Soon after, Schwarzenegger handed off his phone to someone else so he could referee this capoeira match.

Arnie was impressed with a man who tossed half a dozen kegs over his shoulders.

Most students graduate from college with lifelong friends, but some find a partner for life along the way.

Our friends at Niche, a database of school information, rounded up the places where you're most likely to meet your future spouse by combining their lists of the friendliest students, the smartest students, and the most attractive students, with an emphasis on religious colleges. 

We rounded up quotes from students on Niche to illustrate the dating culture at each school. 

50. Skidmore College

Saratoga Springs, New York

"Plenty of diverse, attractive, and fun guys and girls here."

"There are bros, there are hipsters, there are straight-up average people, there are nerds, and everyone hangs out with each other. Not clique-y at all — very easy to show up at someone's house and make a friend."

Visit Niche for more information on Skidmore College.

49. Dallas Baptist University

 Dallas, Texas

"[The students] are good looking people with great interests that include religion, sport, and the arts."

"Everyone on campus is looking for their spouse. Upperclassmen are practically engaged or thinking about proposing."

"There are so many different girls and guys here."

Visit Niche for more information on Dallas Baptist University.

48. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee 

"Girls here are both attractive and intelligent. Everyone here is friendly and motivated."

"There is a wide range of girls and guys here. Everyone dresses to impress, and it's fairly easy making friends." 

Visit Niche for more information on Vanderbilt University.

Millennials are set to become the largest group of consumers in America. 

Ad agency Moosylvania asked 1,500 millennials — defined as 20 to 35-year-olds — to vote for their favorite brands. 

The results show which brands dominate among this subset. 

50. Asus

Headquarters: Taipei, Taiwan

% change in votes from last year's ranking: -13%

Why it's hot: This Taiwanese company is the fifth-largest PC vendor in the world. The brand is making headlines for its inexpensive Android smartphone and ZenWatch. But as more consumers turn to Android, Asus could be challenged.

49. Bethesda Softworks

Headquarters: Bethesda, Maryland

% change in votes from last year's ranking: 94%

Why it's hot: This video game publisher is perhaps best-known for its Elder Scrolls series. It also adapts popular series such as Star Trek and The Terminator into games. Bethesda will benefit as more millennials pick up electronic hobbies like playing games.

48. LG Corporation

Headquarters: Busan, South Korea

% change in votes from last year's ranking: -23%

Why it's hot: LG's electronics scored high with millennials. However, it continues to be challenged by competitors in the ultra-crowded tech space. 

People eat more than just ketchup and mustard on their hot dogs  — some are topped with french fries, avocado, and even bologna. 

Food Republic created a guide to the 40 different types of hot dogs available around the world. And as it turns out, it's pretty easy to find examples of everything from the Chinese dumpling dog to the traditional New York-style frank using Instagram.

While there is no official worldwide hot dog hashtag, searching for a specific country and hot dog, such as #Chileanhotdog, will yield some tasty results.

SEE ALSO: One photographer amassed thousands of Instagram followers after repeatedly organizing her food in a very particular way

Here's a look at a Peruvian hot dog, which is typically deep-fried and topped with ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, and french fries.

Instagram Embed:
http://instagram.com/p/XP7lerKrOx/embed/
Width: 658px

Korean hot dogs are slightly different from the traditional American corn dog. Served on a stick, they have an exterior coating of french fries.

Instagram Embed:
http://instagram.com/p/2daAdLTcqM/embed/
Width: 658px

Michigan hot dogs combine two meals into one. These dogs are topped with chili and mustard.

Instagram Embed:
http://instagram.com/p/1yWdw_qOvl/embed/
Width: 658px

Beyond being an increasingly popular practice for top executives and celebrities, mindfulness meditation is scientifically proven to increase memory and awareness and reduce stress and negative thinking.

Even if you're not ready to make a commitment to a Transcendental Meditation group or your local yoga studio, there are some simple daily habits that can make you more productive and happier at work, say Learn Mindfulness founder Shamash Alidina and Mindfulnet.org founder Juliet Adams.

They've gathered 10 easy practices from their book "Mindfulness at Work For Dummies" into the following presentation.

The eighth annual Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic returned to Liberty State Park on Saturday.

Hollywood stars such as Diane Kruger, Emma Roberts, and Maggie Gyllenhaal were among the thousands of good-looking, well-dressed attendees.

There were also plenty of socialites, designers, and polo stars on hand to watch as Team Black Watch played Team Veuve Clicquot.

But it was all about the people watching.

Welcome to the 8th annual Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic, where VIP guests are greeted by a tower of champagne.

Polo-goers are immediately handed glasses of champagne by smartly dressed bartenders.

There is tons of food being passed around, too.

Mark Cuban became a billionaire in 1999 when he sold his company, Broadcast.com, to Yahoo for $6 billion.

His net worth is now estimated at $3 billion, and he has numerous mansions, private planes, and sports cars to his name. 

He also owns the Dallas Mavericks, who brought the NBA championship home in 2011.

"I'm the luckiest guy in the world," Cuban said at Business Insider's IGNITION conference. "I only have to do what I want to do. I only have to do what I like to do."

Cuban has been a businessman since the beginning. When he was a senior at Indiana University, he and a friend bought a bar called Motley's in downtown Bloomington. It was eventually shut down after they named an underage girl the winner of a wet t-shirt contest held on the premises.

Tweet Embed:
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/530961499347771392
This was an ad for the bar we started at IU. Yes we had nerf basketball and you didn't pic.twitter.com/3DkF6aRCKy

Cuban sold his first company, a consulting firm called MicroSolutions, to CompuServe in 1990. Next, he decided to pay $125,000 for an American Airlines lifetime pass, which let him fly first-class anywhere in the world. "I got as drunk as I could with as many people as I could meet," he told the Financial Times.

Source: FT, Esquire

But Cuban really made it big when Yahoo bought Broadcast.com, a live audio and video streaming site Cuban founded with friend Todd Wagner. The deal, finalized in 1999, was valued at nearly $6 billion.

Source: Esquire

Hedge fund manager Daniel Seth Loeb founded Third Point LLC on June 1, 1995 with $3.4 million in capital. 

The then-33-year-old had money from only five investors—all friends and family—and his own capital. 

Today, the billionaire activist investor oversees around $17.5 billion in assets. 

Since those early days, he has made a reputation for himself as a formidable money manager. As one fund manager recently put it, "he's one of the best investors of our generation." 

So who is this activist investor?  We're going to a take a tour through Loeb's life and find out. 

Daniel Seth Loeb is a West Coast kid born and raised.

The hedge fund manager was born on Dec. 18, 1961. (He definitely looks younger than 53)  

Loeb, the son of Ronald and Clare Spark Loeb— a lawyer and a historian/Melville scholar, respectively— grew up in sunny Santa Monica, California.

When Loeb was 9, his parents divorced. He lived with his dad, while his two sisters lived with his mom.

Source: Bloomberg Markets

Source: Vanity Fair

Growing up near the beach, Loeb always been a life-long surfer.

Even in his early fifties, Loeb still catches waves.

During his talk at the Jewish Enrichment Center in 2009, Loeb said that he has a "secret spot" in the Caribbean and he second favorite place in the world to surf is in Indonesia.  

Source: Jewish Enrichment Center 

Loeb, who's still known for his big mouth, had to hire a bodyguard to protect him in middle school.

Loeb used to get himself into trouble in the schoolyard with his big mouth. 

So when he was 12 years-old at Paul Revere Junior High School in L.A., he hired his classmate Rob Schwartz for 25 cents a day to be "bodyguard" to protect him from bullies.  

By the way, it looks like Schwartz works with Loeb today on his fund's venture capital arm, Third Point Ventures.

Source: Bloomberg Markets

According to the Census Bureau, Millennials are expected to surpass Boomers as the largest living population.

But aside from the sheer size of our generation, our behaviors, attitudes and expectations are different than those of any previous generation, sometimes drastically so.

The following presentation is a narrative on our generation, backed by research and data, with implications for every sector and industry.

Millennials are rethinking and reshaping the world. 

Though the 1998-1999 season was shortened by a lockout, it was the debut of a NBA draft class with at least two future Hall of Famers, several All-Stars, and a bunch of other notable NBA players.

It's not as heralded as the 1996 NBA draft, but the 1998 draft has proved to be one of the best in NBA history.

Michael Olowokandi was taken first overall by the Los Angeles Clippers.

Olowokandi never lived up to expectations as a No. 1 pick. He has stayed off the radar since retiring in 2007 and earning $38 million.

Source: Basketball Reference

Mike Bibby was taken second by the Vancouver Grizzlies.

Five years ago today, a startup called UberCab launched in San Francisco.

Fast forward a few years, and Uber is now one of the hottest companies in Silicon Valley.

As of today, Uber operates in 311 cities in 58 countries, and it's a global company that could be worth as much as $50 billion.

But that wasn't always the case. Uber was the third in a series of startups Kalanick had helped get off the ground and the first that has been truly successful.

This is the story of how Travis Kalanick built Uber's empire and took the world by storm in five years.

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick grew up in Northridge, California, a suburb outside Los Angeles. When he was a kid, he wanted to be a spy.

Source.

However, Kalanick would eventually follow in the entrepreneurial footsteps of his mom, a retail advertiser. He went door-to-door, selling knives for Cutco as a youngster. He started his first business at age 18, an SAT-prep course called New Way Academy.

Source.

He went to UCLA to study computer engineering. He'd drop out in 1998 but with good reason.

Source.

Spanish restaurant El Celler de Can Roca has returned to its spot at the top of the World's 50 Best Restaurants List.

The restaurant first took the top spot on the prestigious list, released by Restaurant magazine, in 2013, but was unseated by Copenhagen's Noma a year later. El Celler has been praised for its artistic parade of courses, superb wine selection, and mind-blowing desserts.

The Catalan, family-owned restaurant has been serving modern Spanish cuisine since it opened in 1986. The three Roca brothers, who run the critically acclaimed establishment, split their duties between the kitchen and front of house.

Flickr user Encantadisimo dined at El Celler in 2011 and 2013. Last time the restaurant won top honors, he shared pictures of his meal with Business Insider, where he and a companion indulged in the "Menú Degustació de Classics," a seven-course tasting menu with the restaurant's most beloved dishes.

With the wine pairing, the meal cost $248 per person at the time. Today, it's around €300 a head.

El Celler de Can Roca is in a suburban neighborhood in Girona, Spain.

Inside, the decor is airy and modern with glass walls and white table cloths.

The first round of appetizers was brought out under a paper globe advertised as "biting the world." It opens as a fan to reveal ...

On June 1, 2015, Caitlyn Jenner revealed her new name — and her new look — to a captivated audience that had grown up knowing the name "Bruce Jenner." Bruce Jenner, Olympic gold medalist. Bruce Jenner, the dad on "Keeping Up With The Kardashians."

But as she announced during a two-hour interview with Diane Sawyer, that sit-down would be the last time she would go by Bruce.

Coming out as transgender on national television, Caitlyn Jenner announced to the world that "for all intents and purposes, I am a woman."

Caitlyn's new public life is just getting started, but her past — and the moment leading up to this historic magazine cover— is nothing short of incredible.

Caitlyn Jenner was born William Bruce Jenner on October 28, 1949 in Mount Kisco, New York, about an hour north of Manhattan.

Jenner attended Newtown High School in Connecticut for her junior and senior year, graduating in 1968. Former football coaches remember "#11" as a star athlete. The high school's stadium was named after Jenner until 2011.

Read more about "Bruce Jenner Stadium" here.

Jenner went on to study at Graceland College (now University), where she ditched football for running after a knee injury. It was a coach from Graceland that noticed Jenner's athletic prowess and potential.