Showtime is hitching a ride with Uber.
The network is developing a limited series about the ride-sharing company’s rocky road to success and its hard-partying ex-CEO Travis Kalanick, who was ousted in June 2017.
Showtime says the series would follow “the roller-coaster ride of the upstart transportation company, embodying the highs and lows of Silicon Valley” as depicted in the bestseller, “Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber” by Mike Isaac.
Kalanick, the company’s founder, resigned after the company was hit with accusations of sexual harassment of employees and a scandal involving a company outing at a South Korean escort bar. In August 2017, Kalanick was replaced by Dara Khosrowshahi, Expedia’s then-chief executive. Last year, Uber was also rocked by a court battle with self-driving car tech business Waymo, which received a $245 million settlement after lobbing allegations of procuring trade secrets at Uber.
“The story of Uber is rich in plot twists, one-of-a-kind personalities and important implications for corporate America,” said Jana Winograde, co-president of entertainment at Showtime Networks Inc. “It is a case study of ingenuity and insanity.”
The Showtime announcement also added that Uber “stands out as both a marvel and a cautionary tale, featuring internal and external battles that ripple with unpredictable consequences.”
The network has found a suitable team to take the wheel: “Billions” show-runners Brian Koppelman and David Levien will executive produce and write the new series.
“There are no writers better suited than Brian and David to explore this business and the people who drive it, literally and metaphorically,” Winograde said.
Of course, Uber’s story is ongoing. On Monday, it was reported that the company was doling out pink slips to about 350 employees after laying off hundreds of others over the summer. In May, the company’s IPO tanked on the New York Stock Exchange, giving Uber the worst IPO for a big-name company in a decade.



