Billion Dollar Loser: The Epic Rise and Spectacular Fall of Adam Neumann and WeWork

He was set for life, no matter what happened.

he had built WeWork on guts and charm rather than by creating a system to support its growth.

WeWork’s valuation leapt from $17 to $20 billion, making it the fourth most valuable start-up in America, after Uber, Airbnb, and SpaceX.

500 million in profit by 2017. Instead, the company was on pace to lose nearly $1 billion as the costs of its rapid expansion grew.

“I became passionate about him achieving his maximum potential,”

“In a fight, who wins?” Masa asked. “The smart guy or the crazy guy?”

For businesses without Warren Buffett’s “moat” protecting them, a new model existed: “capital as a moat.” Can’t beat them? Drown them in cash.

Masa was approaching that final stage, and he had begun to look around for updated versions of himself—young entrepreneurs with a sparkle in their eyes and a willingness to act a little crazy.

WeWork’s public affairs team lobbied heavily against the idea: Trump’s presidency, and all that it stood for, was the antithesis of the world Neumann claimed WeWork was creating.