Abstract
Drawing on interviews with gig workers, policymakers, Uber lobbyists, and community organizers, Katie J. Wells and Kafui Attoh demonstrate how Uber created a playbook to deal with intransigent regulators in the US and to win in the realm of local politics. Their new book, Disrupting D.C., argues that in a sea of broken transit, underemployment, and racial polarization, Uber offered a lifeline to cities. But at what cost? This is not the story of one company or one city. Instead, Disrupting D.C. offers a 360-degree view of an urban America in crisis. Uber arrived promising a new future for workers, residents, policymakers, and others. Ultimately, Uber's success and growth was never a sign of urban strength or innovation but a sign of urban weakness and low expectations about what city politics can achieve. Understanding why Uber rose reveals just how far the rest of us have fallen.

Biographies