[Adam screaming]
[screaming continues]
You want me to get crazier?
Yeah, sure. Let's play around
with it. Give me a few minutes.
Take your time.
- But not too much time, huh?
- 'Kay.
Can you go back to what you were
saying about changing the world?
Our mission is to elevate the
world's consciousness. Period.
And how do you do that?
Mmm, that's a great question.
By living proactively and with purpose.
By being a student of life, for life.
And by doing that, it just
becomes a matter of...
By doing this, we elevate
ourselves and then the world.
The world.
How do your investors
feel about that?
Usually, a company's
mission is to make money.
Yes. Uh, when you have the intention,
changing the world with what you do,
when... when you have
meaning behind your work,
success will follow.
[Damian] Adam, we're ready.
And, yes, the money
will follow too.
Mrs. Neumann…
Out of the sh*t, please.
[screaming]
[grunts, sighs]
You must be a proud papa.
Thirty-four cities,
87,000 members.
I don't think you
wanted us to invest.
Yeah, no, I-I saw
the Instagram posts
of all the members getting white
girl wasted at the day care.
- Day camp?
- Summer camp.
Summer camp. That's it.
Excellent use of the
resources we've provided them,
everybody getting
wasted on our dime.
So, I just want to get the corporate
structure right in my head.
The wife, she
works there, right?
Or she doesn't work
there. What's the...
She's always lurking.
She helps him manifest things.
Right.
- Are you taking the piss out of me?
- Little bit.
We've invested a lot
of money in these guys.
What's their burn rate again?
- [sighs] Gonna do 400 million this year.
- No, no.
Don't f*cking finger me, Bruce.
I'm not asking you, "What
are they gonna make?"
I'm asking you, "What
are they gonna spend?"
I don't know if they covered
this at Stanford Business School.
It's a little thing
called profit.
You see, if you spend more than
you make, then there's no "profit."
They really drilled
it into us at Harvard.
You went to Harvard? You... You
never mentioned that before.
Okay, let me elucidate.
So, if you had a lemonade
stand, for example…
All right, look, um,
they will get there.
…but the lemons cost
more than the lemonade,
- They will get there.
- …and then you insist on
giving the lemonade
away at a discount
like WeWork are giving
away their memberships...
They will get there.
How are they gonna get
there, Bruce? Tell me that.
We've seen this movie
before, haven't we?
Haven't we?
So what's different this time?
Adam. That's what's different.
This guy?
What happens when he burns through
all the money that he's raised?
- [sighs]
- Are you gonna give him more?
We're not there yet, okay?
Okay.
[Doron] Hey, this is incredible.
- [children giggling]
- August and Ollie,
your father is like a rock star.
Oh, he was so excited for you to see
it. Did you get the frame that I sent?
I did. I did. He was
always such a hard worker.
A little businessman.
He sat his mother down and informed
her he would start paying rent
- when he was ten years old.
- Ten years old, I know.
And now, he's on magazine
covers and has an amazing wife
- and four beautiful children.
- Aw. [Kisses]
When he gets home, please
tell him how proud I am.
I will. Actually, Abba, he just arrived.
Yeah, he just walked through the door.
Honey, come say hi to your dad.
[August babbles]
Here he is.
- [Adam] Abba!
- Hey!
Did you get the magazine?
I have it right here.
I already showed all the nurses.
Bet you did, I bet you did.
Hello.
Okay, we've... we've
got to go to dinner.
Okay? So, uh, we'll do
it again next week. Okay?
- Okay. Okay. Bye-bye.
- [speaks Hebrew] Abba, bye.
- Bye, bye, bye. Bye.
- [Rebekah] Bye, bye, bye. Bye-bye.
[sighs]
- I don't like it when you get involved.
- He's trying.
- E-Enough. Enough. Enough.
- [August fusses]
Your inner child's
activated tonight.
I've got to go to work.
- Adam. Adam, what are you... [scoffs]
- [cries]
- It's Saturday night. We're gonna...
- Look, I got to go. I'm sorry. Okay?
Bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye.
[August fusses]
[sighs, whispers indistinctly]
[August coos]
[sighs]
We're going to open 40 new locations
and two million square feet
by the end of the year!
Javi, what... What was that
look you just gave Connor?
[sighs]
I j... don't think
that's possible.
Not possible?
We're on pace to open eight new
locations by the end of the year.
[scoffs] And that would
be our best year yet.
Since 1987, Starbucks has opened,
on average, two stores a day.
Yeah, we're not Starbucks.
I agree. I agree.
We should be bigger
than Starbucks.
Adam. [Sighs]
Landlords get coffee.
Th-They don't all
get coworking space.
Not in Columbus, Ohio.
You know, they say that if
they're gonna do a land grab...
They say... They say the
same things they've said
since we tried to open
our very first location.
I don't care if it's Columbus,
Ohio, or Mars. You understand?
It's your job to make it happen.
Maybe you missed the sign.
- I'm working my ass off for you.
- [Adam] All right, all right.
Plus, I-I left my sister's
wedding to come here.
[tuts] Go back to your sister's
wedding. You'll be doing me a favor.
Who, uh... Who wants to be
the new head of leasing?
You can't do worse than Javi.
Why are we
not growing faster?
Because landlords think your
business model is bullshit.
Oh.
Bro, we lease office space.
W-We hang a few Edison
light bulbs and a neon sign,
and then we act like
we're changing the world.
This is what you really think?
[Javi] And you pay us
sh*t money to do it.
Bro, I work seven
days a week for you.
I'm supposed to be all rah-rah
about your insane expansion plan
because there's free
kombucha on tap?
- f*ck this.
- Javi, Javi, Javi, Javi, Javi.
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
I've been under a lot of
pressure this week. I-I...
I can't afford to lose you.
Yeah. Life's too short, man.
[Adam] What if I
gave you a 10% raise?
[Javi] Not worth it.
What if I double your salary?
It looks like you're
thinking it over.
Why don't we continue this
discussion over drinks and a meal?
[pulsating music playing]
The Wagyu was flown in
this morning from Japan.
Javi, have I
convinced you to stay?
- [Javi stammers]
- [Adam] Javi, Javi, come.
Come, come, come, come, come,
come. Yes, come. Okay, sit, sit.
And that... And that
is how you do it.
If a landlord says
no, double the rent.
If that doesn't work,
double the lease terms.
Invite them to discuss
it over a meal.
Whatever it takes,
blow their minds.
They're blind!
And it's your job to
make them see. Lehayim!
Well, I just don't get it,
what you're trying to do.
- Don't get it.
- Okay.
- What if we went higher on the rent?
- How much higher?
Your business model
scares the sh*t out of me.
What if we increase the
length of the lease?
I don't know. What happens
if there's another recession?
- Uh… Oh.
- Oh, wow.
Average commercial lease is
five years. We'll guarantee ten.
Are you shittin' me?
You're asking for
$90 per square foot?
[landlord laughs]
How about I offer you 130?
Could we get a second
order of the osetra caviar?
I got it.
Uh-huh. Uh-huh.
[laughs]
That was Adam. We want
the whole building.
The whole building? You
know, I have other tenants.
Eh, we'll buy them
out of their leases.
[landlord] Whoo. [Chuckles]
[Miguel] This is your
new business model.
You're going to hurt yourself.
[gasps] Oh, God. Oh, God. f*ck.
We are on track to lose
over 400 million this year.
Perfect. Lesley, do you
know who else lost money?
Amazon, Uber, Twitter,
Spotify, Snapchat.
- Have you heard of those?
- Yes.
Okay. Phil!
Get me a Chinese chicken
salad from Fred's.
It's the cost of rapid growth.
Uh, why does it
have to be rapid?
Extra slivered almonds.
These aren't one-off growth
expenses. These are 20-year leases.
We're looking at layoffs.
You don't wanna have
to fire people, right?
And get salads for Miguel and
Lesley! Extra slivered almonds!
[inhales deeply]
Relax, relax.
We'll cut expenses,
scale back on amenities.
Th-The free bagels,
the fruit water...
We're not in the red
because of cantaloupe.
I'm sorry.
What she's trying to say,
Adam, is it's not sustainable.
I know what to do.
We need more money.
Wha... We-We need more money?
No, uh... But, Adam,
that's not the point.
Money is always the point.
Okay. Phil!
[Rebekah] Adam, is that you?
Yes, it is, baba
ghanoush. [Sighs]
- Adam.
- Hey, oh!
- What?
- What happened?
It's for the school
costume party fundraiser.
You're late. We gotta get ready.
Oh, sh*t. I forgot.
I can't. I can't.
- You can't?
- I can't. I can't. I-I... [sighs]
- What?
- I have to meet Bruce. It's an emergency.
- No, Adam.
- Yes.
Adam, no. I've been
planning this for months.
I am on the
organizing committee.
- Give them 25 grand.
- No, I already gave them 25 grand.
That's how I got on the
organizing committee!
[Adam] Then give them 50.
Sweetie, we're a team.
- And we're going to do this together.
- I've got to go. I'm sorry. You look
[kisses] Y-You know, it's
part of a larger vision.
…disturbing. Okay, bye,
bye, bye, bye, bye.
Have fun!
[chattering]
There's a line. Fire marshal
came a half hour ago.
They're at capacity.
[parent] Maybe we overdid it.
[laughs]
- Hi.
- Hi.
- Elishia.
- Rebekah. You look amazing.
Thanks. Wow, you're really getting
the stink eye from that one.
- Oh, never mind, that's just her face.
- [chuckles]
God, I hope they let us
in soon. I'm starving.
[Elishia] Mmm.
It takes some getting used to with,
um, coming to these things alone.
Who did you use?
- I'm sorry, I don't...
- For the divorce.
Oh, n... I'm not.
- Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't...
- No. It's fine.
I just... I thought I saw a familiar
look in the eyes, but I was...
No. No, no, no. Actually,
we're pretty good.
- Good. Good, good. Yeah.
- Mmm.
It's... 'Cause divorce
can make you mean.
It's like I want him to die, but
I don't want my kids to be sad.
So, like, I'm in a real pickle,
and it just makes me miserable.
[Rebekah sighs]
Okay, this isn't a popular thing
to say nowadays, apparently,
but… I think that
misery's a choice.
You know, negative feelings
come up, absolutely,
but when they come
through the door,
you can lovingly choose
to ask them to leave.
Wow.
I weirdly needed to hear that.
You a therapist or…
No, no. I'm... I'm... I'm just
a serious student of life.
I like that.
Most people roll their eyes.
I'm not rolling my eyes.
No eye-rolling here.
Holy sh*t!
- Make it colder.
- [Bruce groans]
- Ooh.
- Colder!
Negative 292.
I'm raising a new round, and I'm
giving Benchmark first cr*ck.
- [groans] Adam.
- It's a crucial time for us, Bruce.
Adam, I'm not gonna give
you more money. Okay?
This is the part where
you figure it out.
You act like you're doing us a favor. I'm
giving you an opportunity here, Bruce.
You need to learn
the fundamentals.
Good business practices.
Sustainable growth.
Oh, who says our growth
isn't sustainable, Bruce?
- Christ. [Grunts, breathes heavily]
- No, no, no. Another minute!
[panting] Look, I see the
numbers. I know what you're doing.
Blitzscaling, okay?
Buying market share at all costs
is no way to run a business.
In the new economy, it's
exactly how you run a business.
I can't feel my balls.
That means it's working.
How's the back?
The same.
Adam… [sighs] …focus on
what's in front of you.
We at Benchmark, we don't see
ourselves as just the money.
We like to think of ourselves as
bringing something more to the table.
Experience, financial discipline,
maybe even a little wisdom.
We're not speculators.
We don't blitzscale.
We're not SoftBank.
[sighs] Think about what I said.
Definitely will,
Bruce. Definitely will.
[line rings]
- [Damian] Hello?
- Damian.
Set a meeting for me with
Masayoshi Son at SoftBank.
Are you saying "soff"?
"Soffbank," one word?
Sof-tah! Tah, tah, tah.
How do you not know SoftBank?
- [Phil] Hey, Adam.
- Phil, uh, put me on a plane to Tokyo.
[Damian] Adam, I just
checked Masa's Instagram.
- He's not in Tokyo. He's in India.
- What? India?
- [Damian] Yeah, India for Startup India.
- Startup India?
Get me an invite
and a speaking slot.
[Damian] The conference is happening
as we speak. The schedule is set.
Tell him the founder CEO of
the fastest-growing company
in a 14-trillion-dollar
asset class
is willing to come speak
at their shitty conference.
- And, Phil?
- [Phil] Yes?
Get me everything you
can on Masayoshi Son.
Uh, where he grew up, how he grew
up, biographical information.
Everything and anything.
You understand?
And listen to me, both of you. Put
me on a plane to India, immediately.
[Phil] Where in India?
I don't know where in
India. Figure it out!
Ayn Rand. But isn't there, like, a
lot of anti-feminist stuff in there?
Oh, please, no.
You know, I think people just
love to hate powerful women.
- That's not untrue.
- [cell phone buzzes]
I'm sorry. I'm getting a call
from my husband. Do you mind?
- No, no. Take, take.
- Can I just have a... Thank you.
Hi, love.
No, we haven't. There was a fire marshal,
and he said we couldn't. It was a...
- Wait, what?
- I said I'm headed to India.
Just... Just for a few days. I'm
in the car to the airport now.
We need funding.
There's an investor
there. An important one.
That's great, love.
No, it's wonderf...
Okay, okay, Adam, but, come o...
Remember, it's not about the
numbers. It's about the mission.
- Okay, love you, motek.
- That's what keeps WeWork intentional.
- [disconnect tone beeps]
- Hello?
[laughs] All right.
All right. Love you too.
I'm sorry. Thank you.
There's just some really exciting
stuff happening for Adam at WeWork.
Well, I'm not surprised,
with you in his corner.
Oh, you're sweet.
No, I mean it. He's so lucky.
Gosh, it must make all the difference
to have a supportive partner.
I mean, Marc, he
could not handle it.
It sounds like he really
gave in to his shadow self.
He gave in to his
assistant, Cece.
- [sighs]
- I don't wanna talk about him anymore.
Help me.
I actually know a book that's
about recovering from shadow self.
f*cking assholes. He's a
f*cking assh*le. Sorry.
- I need that book.
- Okay, it's called Oceans of Grace.
- Oceans of Grace.
- It's really good.
Phil, uh, for Startup
India, I need a plus-one.
[Rebekah] Ingrid.
I'm gonna drop Harlow Moon
off at school tomorrow.
Did I do something wrong?
[children chattering]
All right, sweetie, have a wonderful
day. I love you so much. Bye.
- [Harlow] Bye, Mommy.
- [mouthing word] Bye.
Here, here, here.
[Elishia] Have an amazing day.
Learn so much. I love you.
Rebekah.
Elishia, hi.
We never run into each
other at drop-off. And now?
- I know. It must be the universe.
- Yes! [Gasps]
Speaking of which, I read
half of Ocean of Grace.
- Oh, my God, I loved it.
- Do you love it?
It's so good, right? I... You
need to read Inner Goddess next.
Uh, one second. What's that?
- Inner Goddess.
- Inner...
- Blow your mind.
- I have my own guru now.
Oh, thank you.
Oh, Rebekah. I got the jade egg.
- Oh.
- I'm wearing it right now.
- That's great, Nicole.
- Tell Gwyneth.
Uh, okay.
- She's fine. She just got the jade egg.
- The what?
It's, um, an, uh, stone carved into
the shape of an egg that you, uh…
Well, it's meant to
strengthen the pelvic muscles.
And she wants you to
tell Gwyneth Paltrow?
[inhales deeply] Gwyneth is my cousin,
and, um, they know each other from school.
Great. Well, she can wait for the reunion
and tell Gwyneth Paltrow herself. [Scoffs]
[laughs]
Do you wanna get a tea?
- I do, but I have to get to work.
- Oh, of course. I understand.
But maybe, um, we could
do, like, a drink tonight?
[Rebekah] I'm free.
After raising our Series B at a
$36 million post-money valuation…
Coral reefs all around the
world are struggling to survive.
Our patented technology
in a matter of months.
A scalable cloud-native
monitoring tool.
[audience applauding]
- S.
- A.
- A.
- S.
Software as a service.
[audience laughs]
[upbeat Bollywood music playing]
[audience applauding]
- [Adam] Abba!
- [Doron] Adam. Hey.
- [Doron groans]
- Hey. Hey, hey, hey.
- [laughs]
- It's good to see you.
This is fantastic.
Well, I love to make
an entrance, you know.
Listen, I'm so thrilled
you invited me. Really.
Let's grab a bite. Okay?
- Okay.
- Grab a bite.
You won't believe my room.
I have my own piano and a private
butler who unpacked my clothes.
And... And the mini-bar is not mini.
It's the size of my refrigerator at home.
The room, it's nothing.
I got you a private
tour at the Taj Mahal.
Well, the thing I'm most excited
about is hearing my son speak.
[announcer] Ladies and gentlemen,
the founder CEO of WeWork,
Mr. Adam Neumann.
[audience cheering, applauding]
[cheering, applauding ends]
[person coughs]
When I was seven years
old, my parents divorced.
I was devastated, of course.
My sister and I lived with my mother.
We moved 13 times before I turned 18.
Thirteen times.
That's 13 new schools, 13 terrifying
first days, 13 moving days,
knowing I had to
start all over again.
New friends, new
rules, new bullies.
My dad, he wasn't around much.
Money was so tight, and I was
so worried about our finances,
I started paying my mother
rent when I was ten years old.
Uh, we finally, uh,
settled on the kibbutz.
And, I have to say,
it was the first place that I
ever truly felt that I belonged.
All of the kids lived
together in one dorm.
We all ate in the
same cafeteria,
and for the first time in my
life, I felt a part of something.
When I moved to New York in my
20s, I had the opposite experience.
I felt I had moved to the
loneliest place in the world.
All of these people
living so close together
but utterly apart.
Separate. Disconnected.
I thought to myself, "There
must be another way."
WeWork isn't a desk company.
It's not even a shared
workspace company.
It is a revolution, a community.
And to be honest,
it's everything I've been
searching for my entire life.
It's been an amazing journey.
I forged incredible new relationships
a-and repaired old ones.
My father is
actually here today.
We're closer now than...
than we've ever been before.
Abba, wave.
Abba, wave. Wave, Abba. Wave.
[audience applauding]
[chuckles] Yeah. Yeah.
We are on a mission
to end loneliness.
Let me tell you how.
[chattering]
Pretty sure I remember you
smiling once or twice as a kid.
Abba, I d... I don't
blame you. Okay?
I believe suffering is a choice.
Then why did you bring
me here to hear it?
Or was I just a prop?
It wasn't about you.
[person] Excuse me.
Mr. Neumann.
Your presentation spoke to me.
I appreciate that.
Masayoshi Son.
Adam. Adam Neumann.
Adam. How do you feel
about your growth?
Our growth? Um, unsatisfied.
We should be three times
the size of Amazon.
Good.
Once you get a sense of
accomplishment, growth stops.
But Amazon is a tech company.
Low cost, infinite
potential for expansion.
Uh, the potential for expansion
with WeWork is also infinite.
How is a coworking
space company "tech"?
Come see WeWork
and I'll show you.
Next time I'm in New York.
Perfect. Pleasure.
Pleasure.
- Who was that?
- My audience.
[dance music playing]
[Elishia speaks, indistinct]
[both giggling]
You've really lived.
What?
The acting, the India,
the Wall Street.
Yeah, well, you know, I'm
trying to, I don't know,
use all of that to help build
the soul of the company.
[scoffs] Do
companies have souls?
Well, ours does.
It does. You're gonna come by,
and you'll see for yourself. Okay?
I mean, how did you even
know about this place?
You know, Adam and I used to
come here in the old days.
Well, too bad, Adam.
This is our place now.
[laughs]
[both laughing]
- [Rebekah] Thank you. Cheers.
- Cheers.
- [groans]
- Oh, my God.
Look at those two idiots. Ugh.
It's like they want you so
much in the beginning, right?
Like they need you.
It's intoxicating.
- It ends in disappointment!
- Not always. Stop it.
Listen, I warned you that the
divorce made me a mean bitch.
And angry. And, yeah, bitter.
A little bit bitter.
That's really sad.
- [chuckles]
- I'm sorry. It is.
Yeah, because you
still believe in love.
No, because you are brilliant,
beautiful, and you're so kind.
And I'm intuitive.
And you are gonna have
whatever and whoever you want.
You're a supernova.
Cheers to you.
And the sky's the limit.
- To me.
- To you.
- To me!
- To you!
[chuckles] To you!
[groans]
[sighs]
Good morning, Phil. Is
he ali... Okay. Good.
- [Rebekah] Ingrid, a little help, please.
- [Harlow] I wanna be barefoot like Daddy!
Hi. Your daughter's refusing
to wear shoes. How's India?
[August crying]
- You're back? W-What?
- [Ingrid] Let's go, kids. Come on.
- W-W-Where... Why aren't you home?
- [Ingrid] One more kiss. Let's go.
Mrs. Neumann, are you
taking Harlow to school?
What? No.
SAAS? What is SAAS?
Software as a service.
Space as a service.
Pretty sure it's "software."
And now it's "space."
It's our pivot into tech.
Masa's Vision Fund
invests in tech companies.
Are you... Masayoshi
Son is investing in us?
Uh, not yet. But he will.
Susan, I want you
to hire engineers.
Uh, wh-what kind?
All of the kinds.
Adam, you were supposed
to be getting us funding.
B-But now you're telling
us to spend more?
Miguel, we spend to
grow. We spend to grow.
You understand? [Stammers] Now
is not the time to think small.
The moment you are
satisfied, growth stops.
Adam, when you hired me,
you asked me to come
build tomorrow with you.
I'm sorry, this is
not how you do that.
Well, Lesley, this
is WeWork's future.
If you can't see it,
you're welcome to leave.
Susan, engineers.
Okay. Okay. Damian!
Damian!
- Damian!
- [Damian] Yeah?
Offer Wired magazine an exclusive
look inside WeWork Labs.
- Okay?
- Okay.
Adam, what is WeWork Labs?
[cell phone buzzing]
- Hello?
- [Masa] I'm in New York.
I'll be at your
office in 15 minutes.
Perfect. Perfect. See you soon.
See you soon, Masa.
Phil!
Attention! Attention!
A very important tour
is about to begin.
And we need to help
him understand...
To feel that special
WeWork energy.
That spirit.
And everyone gets
100 shares, okay?
[employees cheering]
Okay, I'll need to move a few
of you around, so bear with me.
You, you, you, you.
What's your name?
B-Brian.
- S... What?
- Brian.
Brian? Brian. And... And
what department are you in?
I... I don't work here.
- Phil.
- Yeah?
He works here now.
- Hi, Brian.
- Sit here.
- Okay.
- Sit.
You, stand, please.
And you're laughing. [Laughs]
Laughter from the gut.
From the gut. [Laughs]
Ah, Phil.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,
no. This is not a mental hospital.
Phil, show them how
to laugh, please.
Like Phil laughs. Go.
- [laughs]
- [employees laughing]
And, uh, you two,
you can be a couple.
Are you dating?
You should be. You'd
make a great couple.
Show me your face of love.
Throuple. You're a throuple. Here.
Here. No, no, no. Sit here. Lounge, lay.
Chess. Phil, coffee for all.
And everyone, please listen
to me. Very important tour.
And we will activate this space
with energy, with compassion.
Do what you love.
Lehayim! Yes.
- Cheers. Please.
- Cheers!
- Phil, time.
- [Phil] Three minutes.
We need someone dancing.
[beatboxing]
One minute.
Spirited energy. Love,
passion, creativity.
Foosball. The winner
gets another 100 shares.
But, please, what's your name?
- Holly.
- Come with me now, Holly, please.
Okay. Here. Stand, stand,
stand here. You're the...
[elevator bell dings]
His office called.
He had to reschedule.
[Miguel] Energy's great in here.
- [snorts, laughs]
- [laughs] You want to see it?
Yes. Yes.
What? [Laughs]
[Elishia] I could
make do with that.
What do I write back?
Um, "New phone. Who's this?"
[chuckles] Shut up.
[Lesley] The numbers
are not pretty, guys.
See? There's no accounting
voodoo that's gonna fix this.
You can't spend more on rent,
commit us to longer lease terms...
- And membership discounts.
- Exactly.
We could sit here all day.
It's not gonna change the math.
You have to talk to Adam.
Maybe we just go over the
numbers one more time.
The numbers don't change.
That's not how this works.
Miguel, we... we
have to do something.
Yeah, but we have
to spend to grow.
That is not a plan. That
is a bumper sticker.
Yeah, well, we're... We're
not stopping our growth, so...
What the f*ck are you doing?
If you're a visual learner, I thought
this might help explain things.
Okay. Uh, somebody just
pitch me something, guys.
Come on. We're... We're spending
thousands of dollars on your services, so…
Pitch.
That's not really our role.
Layoffs.
f*ck you, Matthew.
Sorry to offend your
delicate sensibilities,
but if he's too afraid
to talk to his cofounder…
f*ck you, Matthew.
…and we just keep spending and
spending like drunken sailors,
then there's not a
lot of options here.
Ergo, layoffs.
Nobody is getting laid off.
If Adam heard you saying
that, he'd fire you.
So, pitch me something.
48,000 square feet, right
on Hollywood Boulevard…
[whispering] Masa's on his way.
Activate the space!
Get into positions. The
positions I showed you before.
That's what "activate
the space" means.
[elevator bell dings]
[Adam groans]
- Rescheduled.
- [sighs]
[Rebekah] Hey.
- How was your day?
- Uh…
[Adam groans, sighs]
Arlington build-out, 4.9 million.
Denver build-out, 6.3 million.
San Diego build-out,
8.2 million.
- Member acquisition costs for Arlington...
- How... How long do we have?
Well, w-we're looking at... What
do you think, John? I think that...
I'll take this one, geniuses.
We're bleeding out,
and we need a transfusion of cash,
stat, or we're gonna flatline.
Or we chop off a limb.
How long do we have?
Just tell me what
year and what quarter.
It's not years, Miguel.
We're... We're talking months.
Activate the space!
Activate the space!
Adam, we need to talk.
Adam, we talked about
this time might be coming,
and it's... It seems
to be here. I mean...
[sighs]
Adam, the company is
at a critical juncture.
You have two options. One, you
close 12 locations immediately.
[stammers] That's
not going to happen.
Two, you shut down all
nonessential operations.
That includes WeWork Labs.
Absolutely not.
[chuckling] Well,
those are your options.
- Richard...
- You're... You're too soft on him, Bruce.
Those are your options. Period.
[elevator bell dings]
- Hi. Welcome to WeWork.
- [Elishia shrieks] Hi, Rebekah.
Oh, my God. You look amazing.
I'm so excited to
finally see it.
Good. So, I was thinking
I'd give you a quick tour…
- Yes, please.
- …then we walk to Little Prince.
Him? He's going to
tell me my options
in my conference
room in our company?
You're telling me
what my options are?
This is where we are, yeah.
- [Adam] Listen to me.
- Adam, look at me.
It's been four
months since India.
Masa's just not coming.
Look at all of this.
It actually reminds me of
the early days of my company.
- Does it?
- Yeah.
[Rebekah] That's so
gratifying to hear.
And here is Adam.
Hi. Sorry to interrupt.
- Hey, love.
- [Adam] Motek!
Hi. I just wanted to
introduce you to my friend.
- Elishia Kennedy. Wow.
- Um, yes.
- Big fan of your company, Ms. Kennedy.
- [Rebekah] Wow.
[Adam] Do you have any idea how
many recruiters we've gone through
trying to lure you over here?
To what, uh, miracle do we owe
the honor of your presence?
Well, Adam, this is my new friend,
Elishia, I've been telling you about.
She came to see me. And, you
know, I was showing her...
Of course. Of course, she
came to see my magical wife.
- [chuckles]
- [Adam kisses] Of course. Of course.
But now that you're here, you
can't help but feel it, hey?
- Just a bit. A tiny little bit.
- More than a little bit.
- It's amazing. It's... This is amazing.
- [Adam] Okay, great. Yes, it's amazing.
But like I said to all
of those recruiters,
- I have a job at my own company.
- [Rebekah] Mmm.
The very successful one. Maybe
you should offer him a job.
But I am not offering her a job.
Oh, well, then what do you...
What are you asking me?
Uh, are you lonely?
- [Rebekah] I-I'm sorry. Adam…
- What?
I-I'm... I'm just... just
asking if... if you're lonely.
- [Rebekah] Adam, it's...
- No, no, no. It's just a question. It...
Everyone's lonely. It's
a... This is a lonely world.
I agree. I do.
And that is why I wasn't
offering you a job.
I'm offering you a
mission to reach billions,
to create a global community that
will bring happiness and connectivity
to people around the
globe. You understand?
And to make the world
a little less lonely.
Right here, right now.
His best and worst quality is
never taking "no" for an answer.
And I haven't heard a "no" yet.
[Adam, Rebekah, Elishia chuckle]
Um, don't you have to
run that by your board?
I am the board.
- I will think about that.
- [Adam] Yes.
Uh, we should go. We
have a reservation.
Is Adam for real?
I wouldn't be with
him if he wasn't.
[elevator bell dings]
Where were we? [Stammers] You
were telling me my options.
You gave me two.
I'll take number three.
[computer chimes]
I just got fired.
[computer chimes]
Me too.
[multiple devices chiming]
[Run-DMC rapping "It's Tricky"]
[employees cheering]
♪ To rock a rhyme,
that's right on time ♪
- [Adam] ♪ It's Tricky, Tricky, Tricky ♪
- ♪ Here we go! ♪
♪ It's tricky to rock a rhyme ♪
♪ To rock a rhyme
that's right on time ♪
You just fired 7% of the company
but decided to spend thousands
of dollars on Run-DMC?
A very normal part
of our growth phase.
Besides, we can afford it now. And
everybody needs a morale boost.
Everybody needs a job!
Lesley, you were one
of our first employees,
so I've always felt a
certain affection for you.
But if anyone else were to speak
to me that way, they'd be fired.
Be careful. There are limits.
- I'm going up.
- Be careful?
And you, you're just
along for the ride.
[Run-DMC] ♪ And in the city it's
a pity 'Cause we just can't hide ♪
♪ Tinted windows don't mean
nothin' They know who's inside ♪
♪ It's tricky to rock a rhyme ♪
- ♪ To rock a rhyme that's right on time ♪
- [employees cheering]
♪ It's tricky ♪
♪ Tricky, tricky,
tricky, tricky ♪
[audio fades]
f*ck this.
[rustling]
[Rebekah] Harlow Moon, wanna
say what you're thankful for?
I'm thankful for my friends
and Froggy the frog.
- [chuckles] Cool.
- And I am grateful for Elishia Kennedy.
I landed her. Yeah.
- Oh. Oh, she didn't tell me.
- Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Good, yeah? Yeah.
- Well, that... Yeah.
- That's... Wow.
She said she was busy at work.
She didn't say she was leaving her
company to join WeWork. That's huge.
She said your passion for
the company was a big reason
for wanting to make the
change, so thank you.
I'm making her
Chief Brand Officer.
Yes. Yes.
Daddy, Mommy didn't say
what she's grateful for.
Um…
Please, Rivka, say what
you're thankful for.
Starving here.
Everyone start, please.
I've lost my appetite.
- I get one night a week of meat.
- [Rebekah] I know.
One night a week.
I can't help it if it turns my stomach
watching you ingest an animal's fear.
It's a chicken, okay? It's a
chicken. It doesn't have fear.
It's a living creature.
Living creatures…
- [Adam] Definitely no fear.
- …have fear and powerlessness.
All living creatures have
fear and powerlessness.
Sometimes people forget that.
Do you mind... Excuse me.
But... But you did not say
what you're grateful for.
Here. Shh. [Whispers] Take this.
Don't tell your mother.
[Harlow] I am.
- [line ringing]
- [Adam] Okay. Cheers.
Hi. You've reached Elishia Kennedy.
I'm not available to answer the phone…
[Adam] I'll get you a pizza too.
- [Harlow] No.
- [Adam] Yes, I am.
It's Masa. He's here.
- Now?
- Now!
[elevator bell dings]
Masa. Masa. Thank you for making
the time. How long do you have?
Twelve minutes.
Twelve minutes. I can't wait
to show you the future of work.
Come. Come. So good
to have you here.
["Do It Again" playing]
- I call it "space as a service."
- [electronic chiming]
We're building, uh, data systems to
connect communities around the world...
[chiming continues]
[chiming stops]
You don't wear shoes?
No.
[employees chattering, laughing]
- [laughing]
- [Adam chuckling]
You're crazy.
[Adam] Uh…
Ride with me.
We currently have, uh, one million
square feet of WeWork space...
I don't want to see your deck.
I don't look for companies.
I look for founders.
I was born in a tiny province
in Japan to Korean immigrants.
We adopted a Japanese
surname, but it didn't matter.
Everyone knew we were outsiders.
When I was 16, I moved
to the United States,
and it was no different.
I have faced great
discrimination in my life…
And great loneliness.
But you know all this.
That's why you gave the speech
you gave at Startup India.
Well, I...
When you hit an obstacle,
do not mourn it.
Because it provides
growth opportunities.
[sighs]
[door opens]
[footsteps approaching]
Rivka, why are you
sitting in the dark?
I wanted to catch you
before you got high.
Our first date…
There were so many red flags.
You saw me.
You looked across the table,
and you saw me, right?
Elishia asked me if
you were for real.
I told her yes.
But I didn't tell her how many
nights I lie in bed alone,
wondering if I made you up.
Where are you?
'Cause you're not here.
You're my life.
This family is my life, and we're
yours. Do you understand that?
Nothing is more
important than us.
I understand. I
understand. I do.
And I'm here. [Inhales deeply]
[Rebekah] Uh-huh.
Why won't you look at me?
Why won't you talk to me?
Why won't you touch me?
- Why won't you look at our children?
- Riv... Rivka. Rivka, please. Please.
- Listen. Listen, let me explain.
- [sniffles] I can't, Adam. I can't.
- Take a look. Look.
- No, I don't want to.
- Please. Look. Look.
- What? What is this?
[Adam inhales deeply]
It's Masa's
investment in WeWork.
And us.
[chuckles]
I manifested it.
Uh. Oh, no, no, no,
no, no, no, no, no, no.
It's for you,
okay? It's for you.
It's always been for you.
[Rebekah sniffles]
[Adam] Hey. [Sighs]
["Aerial Black" playing]
[song continues]