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.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider