Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber

Each season of this anthology turns a headline business story into a dramatized account, and the first season reconstructs the rise of Uber through the eyes of its polarizing cofounder, Travis "TK" Kalanick. The show traces how a small idea for ride-hailing exploded into a global company, fueled by ruthless growth tactics, boardroom clashes, and clashes with regulators and drivers. It focuses on the personalities, the culture of disruption, and the human cost of scaling fast, showing ambition and hubris without revealing later twists or final outcomes.

Released in 2022, the series was created by Brian Koppelman, David Levien, and journalist Mike Isaac, and it adapts material from Isaac's reporting. The cast is led by Joseph Gordon-Levitt as TK and Kyle Chandler as investor Bill Gurley, with Kerry Bishé, Babak Tafti, and Jon Bass in key roles. The show premiered on Showtime as a single-season exploration of a well known corporate saga.

The series fed public conversations about startup ethics and executive behavior, bringing renewed attention to Uber's early controversies and the personalities behind them. Its dramatized scenes and tense boardroom moments entered discussions beyond tech circles, influencing how people talk about Silicon Valley excess and the consequences of prioritizing growth over governance.

Critical reaction was mixed, with many reviewers and viewers noting strong lead performances and a slick production style, while others questioned the show's balance between fact and dramatization. On aggregate community ratings it sits around a 6.83/10 from 85 votes, reflecting divided opinions. Major themes include ambition, accountability, power dynamics in tech, and the impact of scale on workers and regulation.

The show prompted awards season chatter for its cast, particularly Gordon-Levitt's portrayal, but it did not dominate major industry prizes. Its value tends to be measured more in conversations it sparked and the performances it highlighted than in trophy counts.