The Fixer by Bradley Tusk Summary
Overview of The Fixer
"The Fixer" reveals how political strategist Bradley Tusk helped Uber, FanDuel, and Tesla navigate regulatory minefields. Praised by Steven Soderbergh as "deeply funny" and "exhilarating," this insider's guide shows founders one crucial truth: disrupting an industry means mastering its politics first.
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When Your Business Model Threatens the System
Travis Kalanick's voice crackled through my phone with unmistakable urgency. New York's mayor had just proposed capping Uber's growth at 1% annually-a death sentence disguised as regulation. The city council historically rubber-stamped mayoral wishes 49-2. We needed 26 votes to survive. The taxi industry had spent decades building political relationships through campaign donations, and now they wanted their return on investment: our destruction. But political battles aren't won by those with the best arguments-they're won by those who understand the game. After two decades navigating government corridors, running Bloomberg's campaign, serving as Schumer's communications director, and witnessing a governor's corruption firsthand, I'd learned something crucial: established industries use politics as a weapon against innovation. A startup's advantage is intellectual-ideas and technology. The incumbent's advantage is political-lobbyists and donations designed to strangle disruption in its cradle. My career became about helping startups transform their customers into political forces powerful enough to overwhelm even the most entrenched interests. Sometimes the only way to change a broken system is to break its rules. Politics found me through pure audacity and dumb luck. Working as a cabana boy during college, I met Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell at the 1992 Democratic Convention-an event I attended using a borrowed carpenter's union pass. The arena sat nearly empty except for Rendell. With nothing to lose, I introduced myself. He offered me an internship, though his follow-up letter never arrived. Months later, I simply showed up at City Hall asking to see the mayor. Remarkably, he called back that same day: "When are you coming to work?" This taught me something fundamental: most people never ask for what they want because they assume the answer is no. But if you're willing to risk embarrassment, doors open that you didn't know existed.
The Education of a Political Operator
Crisis, Cooperation, and Narrative Control
Radical Honesty as Competitive Advantage
Creating Markets That Don't Exist
The Dangerous Seduction of Inexperience
The Battle That Changed Everything
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From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
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"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
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