The Cult of We

WeWork, Adam Neumann, and the Great Startup Delusion

De: Eliot Brown, Maureen Farrell

Narrado por: Thérèse Plummer

WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER • A FINANCIAL TIMES, FORTUNE, AND NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • “The riveting, definitive account of WeWork, one of the wildest business stories of our time.”—Matt Levine, Money Stuff columnist, Bloomberg Opinion

The definitive story of the rise and fall of WeWork (also depicted in the upcoming Apple TV+ series WeCrashed, starring Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway), by the real-life journalists whose Wall Street Journal reporting rocked the company and exposed a financial system drunk on the elixir of Silicon Valley innovation.

LONGLISTED FOR THE FINANCIAL TIMES AND MCKINSEY BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD

WeWork would be worth $10 trillion, more than any other company in the world. It wasn’t just an office space provider. It was a tech company—an AI startup, even. Its WeGrow schools and WeLive residences would revolutionize education and housing. One day, mused founder Adam Neumann, a Middle East peace accord would be signed in a WeWork. The company might help colonize Mars. And Neumann would become the world’s first trillionaire.

This was the vision of Neumann and his primary cheerleader, SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son. In hindsight, their ambition for the company, whose primary business was subletting desks in slickly designed offices, seems like madness. Why did so many intelligent people—from venture capitalists to Wall Street elite—fall for the hype? And how did WeWork go so wrong?

In little more than a decade, Neumann transformed himself from a struggling baby clothes salesman into the charismatic, hard-partying CEO of a company worth $47 billion—on paper. With his long hair and feel-good mantras, the six-foot-five Israeli transplant looked the part of a messianic truth teller. Investors swooned, and billions poured in.

Neumann dined with the CEOs of JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs, entertaining a parade of power brokers desperate to get a slice of what he was selling: the country’s most valuable startup, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and a generation-defining moment.

Soon, however, WeWork was burning through cash faster than Neumann could bring it in. From his private jet, sometimes clouded with marijuana smoke, he scoured the globe for more capital. Then, as WeWork readied a Hail Mary IPO, it all fell apart. Nearly $40 billion of value vaporized in one of corporate America’s most spectacular meltdowns.

Peppered with eye-popping, never-before-reported details, The Cult of We is the gripping story of careless and often absurd people—and the financial system they have made.

Fantastic

Genius reporting and a genuinely fun read. Six out of five stars. Very good book.

fascinating story

this is a terrific description of the We Work story and the obnoxious, self-absorbed and arrogant Adam Neumann and his spoiled flakey wife. well hindsight might be 20/20, a blind person could have seen that something wasn't right with the We Work propaganda. The perfect storm of greed that brought down this company is the same greed and stupidity that caused the entire housing market to crash in 2005 to 2012.

The reading was a bit off putting with way too many inflections and upswings in her voice.

Yeah. It's pretty good; however...

The narratior's performance is really good; however some parts feel out of place. I would recommend listen to this one before sleep. Her voice can calm even though it's about a man almost building a cult.

An astounding story

Definitely worth reading. A look into the madness behind WeWork. A sobering story and a cautionary tale. Great narration.

Great listen!

Had to stop listening to this one!

A great ride from beginning to end - much more detail but just as much drama as We Crashed. Loved it!