Billion Dollar Loser

A Sunday Times Book of the Year

By: Reeves Wiedeman

Narrated by: Will Collyer

Length: 10 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

The inside story of the rise and fall of WeWork, showing how the excesses of its founder shaped a corporate culture unlike any other.

Christened a potential saviour of Silicon Valley's start-up culture, Adam Neumann was set to take WeWork, his office-share company disrupting the commercial real estate market, public, cash out on the company's $47 billion valuation, and break the string of major start-ups unable to deliver to shareholders. But as employees knew, and investors soon found out, WeWork's capital was built on promises that the company was more than a real estate purveyor, that in fact it was a transformational technology company.

Veteran journalist Reeves Weideman dives deep into WeWork and its CEO's astronomical rise, from the marijuana and tequila-filled boardrooms to cult-like company summer camps and consciousness-raising with Anthony Kiedis. Billion Dollar Loser is a character-driven business narrative that captures, through the fascinating psyche of a billionaire founder and his wife and co-founder, the slippery state of global capitalism.

©2020 Reeves Wiedeman (P)2020 Hachette Audio

Great insight

Detailed insights into how WeWork was constructed. Got hooked on this audio book.
Well laid out.

Ultimately disappointing.

The first two halves of the book are fascinating and captivating. Where the book falls of a cliff for me is in the final act, the decline of wework, which is probably why you are listening to this book. The story of the fall of wework is told hastily, lacks detail and clearly lacked access. COVID is just a remark in the end as well.

Crazy but engrossing

Super interesting listen! The story is both crazy and ridiculous at the same time - very engrossing though and awesome for an audiobook!

Really good story but the narrator switches from male to femal

This is a brilliant story of how someone completely pulled the wool over investors eyes and persuaded them to handover insane amounts for a company with no IP.

The only thing I thought was odd was the narrator switching between a male voice to female voice. I got used to it but was unexpected.

amazing book finished in 1 week. great account

this was an amazing book that gives you an account for WeWork and the insanity of the VC market

Enthralling listen. Topic, text & narration superb

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found myself looking for any opportunity to listen. I am embarrassed enough to say that I was unfamiliar with wework, the Neumann's and majority of others involved. Having bought the book, to cure my ignorance.

It is a fabulous book and the clear and interesting writing is perfectly balanced by the narration. Evidently written by someone with excellent understanding & skill to interweave the story with the details of events that followed. I do agree with another comment, regarding the final part of the book seeming somewhat rushed and under done, compared with the earlier chapters. Although, forgivable as wework itself is still a story unfolding.

This was a thoroughly entertaining and interesting boo, I had not anticipated enjoying so much. I would whole heartedly recommend it to anyone with even a passing interest in business, even self-development which so often goes hand in hand entrepreneurial interests.

Engaging and insightful

I somehow missed the WeWork struggles as they materialised in teal time and so found this book both insightful and interesting.

good book

it's a good book, but not as compelling as Steve Jobs biography.

Very interesting how these company get those huge valuations without ever turning a profit and how some founders think of themselves as gods

Compelling insight into greed and gullibility

This story about the greed and gullibility of people involved with the WeWork debacle is a fascinating account of what happened and what went wrong. Most interesting is how the destructive power of unchecked egos wrought havoc to an industry and peoples lives. The guru like CEO seems part charlatan, part sales genius and profoundly delusional. What makes the whole thing such compelling reading is the way in which investors, the public and WeWork employees bought into the lunacy. The author does not preach or point out the obvious, he merely narrates his exploration and lets the reader form their own interpretations, heartily recommmend.

Broken VC

An incredible story of hubris and emotional decision making trumping the fundamentals until gravity took over.

Would recommend

Very interesting and crazy story about WeWork. This book has great insights into the madness.