• Billion Dollar Loser

  • The Epic Rise and Spectacular Fall of Adam Neumann and WeWork
  • By: Reeves Wiedeman
  • Narrated by: Will Collyer
  • Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (1,751 ratings)

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Billion Dollar Loser  By  cover art

Billion Dollar Loser

By: Reeves Wiedeman
Narrated by: Will Collyer
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Publisher's summary

A Wall Street Journal Business Bestseller: This "vivid" inside story of WeWork and its CEO tells the remarkable saga of one of the most audacious, and improbable, rises and falls in American business history (Ken Auletta).

​Christened a potential savior of Silicon Valley's startup 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 forty-seven billion dollar valuation, and break the string of major startups 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 board rooms 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 Little, Brown & Company

Critic reviews

“Vivid, carefully reported drama that readers will gulp down as if it were a fast-paced novel.” (Ken Auletta)

Featured Article: Our Editors Reveal—The Listens that Got Us Hooked


Our editors have quite the impressive libraries, but where did it all begin? They've thought back to their own very first listens or the audiobook that took them from audio amateur to totally Audicted, all the while recommending accessible favorites for new listeners to find a starting point for themselves. From time travel to true crime to tech exposés, these are the listens that got us hooked—and a few of the very best audiobooks for first time listeners.

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What listeners say about Billion Dollar Loser

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Engrossing and we’ll researches but narration is annoying

I liked the book- it’s a well researched bio, though it’s clearly one-sided and not exactly a fair exploration of Neumann’s redeeming qualities (I have to assume there are a few).

The narration is odd. The narrator chooses this strange mocking tone when he reads quotes. Especially when quoting Neumann, he uses this frat boy/California surfer voice which is negative and mocking and makes everything sound pompous or stupid, or both. It gets very annoying.

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46 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

decent journalism, distracting narrator

the narrator's surfer dude accent for Adam the entire book is so grating. Im quite forgiving of most narration but this was incessant and detracting.

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38 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A little too negative

I get things didn’t go great for WeWork but when a book is entirely negatively skewed, you have to view it with pessimism. Would be great to at least see some positive elements about WeWork’s rise.

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33 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Mostly collection of notes

Narration filled with uptalk once you get mid-book. But you have to sympathize with narrator, because content lacked cohesion in mid after strong beginning. Maybe would have worked if author had found a storyline to connect disparate facts and reports.

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20 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Just ok

Nothing special about the story. well written/ told.... filled with details which are important to the story.... but quite forgettable/ boring. No fraud here.... but a look under the hood at a "unicorn" company, how a charismatic leader can blind observers....how the unicorns get valued by investors/ wall street.

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18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Master Conman

I followed this story through the news and it always amazed me that their guy was not spotted as a con artist. Same as the woman from Theranos, all these skilled people that would throw out all logic and keep investing in these people. Absolutely mind boggling

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

The danger of unchecked charismatic leaders

Great story, outstanding performance by Will Collyer. Captivating presentation about Adam Neumann and the development of WeWorks. It was one of those, "can't put it down" stories. However, I found the collapse and discussion of the aftermath rushed and incomplete. I would have loved another hour or so of what the real inside story of Adam's departure and the law suits that are pending. Nevertheless, I would highly recommend this story.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fast excellent read

I had trouble stopping .. great story and so well told. I’ll read this one twice.

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6 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • TM
  • 01-30-21

Well Written - Liked Narration

Some folks didn’t like the narrator because of the “surfer dude” voice he puts on for Adam. I actually thought it was appropriate, and the narration overall is excellent.

The book itself is well written, comprehensive, enlightening, and I think ultimately fair. Adam clearly had the energy, passion, and grandiose vision required of an effective leader of a start-up. But he also lacked substance, and had some unpleasant impulses that ultimately undermined his creation, and the team that facilitated it.

Worthwhile read.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Gripping storyline

Excellent narration and interesting story. Quite similar to Bad Blood or American Kingpin in its ability to tell an accurate account while ensuring the story is gripping and entertaining.

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3 people found this helpful