#079: Max Crowley on Uber’s Wild Early Days, Selling Bandit, and Betting on Himself Again

Max Crowley, host of The Early Podcast, joins us to unpack his wild career journey - starting as employee #25 at Uber, launching a mobile-first coffee startup that was later acquired by GoPuff, and stepping into the high-stakes world of startup fundraising and operations at scale.

In this episode, Max breaks down what it was like building Uber’s early operations from the ground up, why scrappy talent always wins, and how Bandit, his app-based coffee shop, pivoted and sold during the height of COVID. He shares what he learned in the trenches as Chief of Staff to GoPuff’s founders, how he thinks about hiring A+ players, and why his new obsession is building in public through storytelling.

He also opens up about imposter syndrome, the art of reinvention, and what it means to stay in the game long enough to find your next thing.

00:00:00 – Introduction: Meet Max Crowley, Host of The Early Podcast

00:03:49 – Reinvention Mode: What Max Learned from Taking a Step Back

00:13:13 – The Invisible Contract: Why Consistency Builds Trust

00:14:21 – Early Days at Uber: Max Was Employee #25

00:23:13 – Uber Began with Just a Text Message

00:40:19 – Founding Bandit: The Idea Behind the App-First Coffee Shop

00:58:49 – Don’t Feel Like a Founder? Go Join a Rocket Ship

01:00:39 – Max’s Turning Pro Moment: Joining Uber at Age 24