Arrested On The Job – Episode 4 with Sam Gellman
Big things start small. The Early Podcast. Stories and insights from early employees and innovators who’ve shaped the future.
Missed a Huge Opportunity? Here’s How to Bounce Back. What if you turned down the chance to be one of Facebook’s first employees?
That’s exactly what happened to Sam Gellman—and he knew it was a mistake the second he walked away. But rather than let that regret define his story, he wrote a new one.
One that took him across the world building Uber from the ground up. 🚖 City by city. ⚖️ Battling regulators. 🚔 Even getting arrested in Hong Kong for doing his job.
This episode of Early is a wild ride through startup highs, billion-dollar burn rates, and what it means to bet on yourself when it really counts.
🚀 From Almost-Facebook to Global Uber Expansion
In this conversation, Sam unpacks:
The serendipitous moment that landed him a job at Goldman Sachs
Why he turned down Facebook (and how that decision haunted him)
The real Uber playbook for launching cities with just 10 black cars
Uber vs. Didi in China: how both sides burned billions in a game of startup chicken
The day a taxi protest turned violent—and Sam ended up in jail
What made Travis Kalanick’s leadership unlike anything else in tech
💡 Big Takeaways
✅ Bet on yourself, not companies.
Loyalty won’t save you. Companies aren’t emotional—they serve shareholders, not dreams.
✅ The best startups run on leaderboard culture.
Uber ranked cities every 5 minutes. It was data-driven, insanely competitive, and deeply mission-focused.
✅ Founders matter.
Travis Kalanick wasn’t just a CEO—he was a force. His relentlessness shaped Uber’s rise, and his ouster changed its DNA forever.
Where to Listen:
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THIS was episode FOUR! New episodes (at least) every Tuesday, and I’d love your feedback on who we should interview next. Email me: max@earlypod.com
Let’s go!!!!! 🚀
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