01x08 - The One with All the Money

Episode transcripts for the TV show "WeCrashed". Aired: March 18, 2022 - present.*
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Mini-series about the Rise and Fall of WeWork by Wondery.
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01x08 - The One with All the Money

Post by bunniefuu »

Hello, and shalom, and
thank you for coming.

If you're watching this, well,
you probably know who I am.

For those of you just tuning
in, my name is Adam Neumann.

And I am many things.

Immigrant, entrepreneur, husband,
father, disrupter, maverick,

creator, and founder and
CEO of The We Company,

the third most valuable
private company in the world.

I could give you my
version of how we got here,

but that is the past.

And I am more interested
in the future.

So come with me. Come with me.

It is time for
the We revolution.

Line.

These are the new talking
points. Stick to them.

Hang up the phone.

Don't say anything but
new talking points.

Hang up the phone, Cindy!

- Hang up the phone!
- God dammit!

Just tell them we'll call them
back later. Do not comment.

- What?
- Wall Street Journal.

It is our S-1. We're very proud of
it. I have to go now. Thank you.

This is Damian.

No, I don't have a comment on
the S-1. It speaks for itself.

Oh, my God. Hand me napkins.

- Cereal... What cereal box?
- Hi.

- No, he's not. We're aware.
- Okay.

What about a cereal box?

Why are you here?

To... To...

To talk about the S-1.

It's perfect, is it not?

I mean, we think it's perfect.

- Yeah. We love it.
- Absolutely, so…

So, what are they saying?

There's the... the losses.

And then there's
the... the pictures.

- Pictures?
- People are upset about the pictures?

- Pictures gave it life.
- I know.

I know. It's silly, but it's...

Some people think an... an S-1

shouldn't traditionally
have photo spreads...

- That's why it's in there.
- Exactly!

That's why we did it.

Take it away.

The real estate industry
is currently experiencing…

The real estate industry is
currently experiencing a…

Paradigm shift from a…

Paradigm shift from a…

f*ck!

Guys, it's a financial
document that no one reads.

Well, they do read The
Wall Street Journal,

and they're working on a story.

- What do you mean?
- What story? There's no story.

Yeah, I mean, late-night
parties, tequila sh*ts,

and a brick of weed
in a cereal box

- on an international flight.
- It's a cube.

It was not... It was a cube.

Oh, my f*cking God! The
Wall Street Journal?

- Okay, okay, okay, okay.
- I'm out of here.

- You can't let them run that story.
- Right.

No, Damian, you can't
let them run that story!

Sorry.

You can't run the story.

Because it's a non-story, Eliot.

No, investors are not losing
confidence in the IPO.

Investors are losing
confidence in the IPO.

We need to postpone it.

No, no, no.

No, no, we're not going to postpone.
We're not postponing, Jamie.

If we don't postpone, we
have to lower the valuation.

By how much?

Closer to 20.

You want to lower the
valuation by $27 billion?

Jamie, do you know what causes
investors to lose confidence?

That. That does.

It's a tough time
to be a unicorn.

There's a lot of
scrutiny out there.

Uber, Lyft, Peloton, Slack, they're
all under performing post-IPO.

All of them.

The "unicorn stampede."
It has become a bloodbath.

And so, to kind of illustrate this
point, we recently saw, just last week

an issue with We Work,

where We Work was making this
transition from the private markets,

trying to get ready for an
IPO to the public market,

and they had raised on a previous
valuation of $47 billion.

They just decided overnight, "Just
kidding, we're worth 20 billion."

And so, if you
invested in We Work,

thinking that it had a
valuation of 47 billion…

Your time has expired.

…you're getting fleeced.

I donated to her campaign.

f*ck her. She's a
f*cking socialist.

She is misrepresenting
the private markets.

You're dealing with very
sophisticated investors.

Could you stop sending me
the daily press briefings?

They're just... All of
the mentions are bad,

and I'm starting to let
negative thoughts in and…

Let's go.

Why do they hate us so much?

All we wanted to do
was save the world.

We got this. Damian!

We got it. We got
it, Damian! Got it.

There's a lot of noise back there.
I think we need to simmer it down.

Calm it down. Find your spot.

- Fungible. Ible…
- Okay. It's so good. It's so good.

- Is it?
- That is such a hard line.

Commodities and… You're
getting a little tight in here.

So why don't we just...

Say this with me. A proper pot
of coffee in a proper coffee pot.

A proper cot of... A proper
pot of coffee in a p...

- Yes.
- A proper pot of coffee

in a proper coffee pot.

A proper cop pet potty
in a proper coppy pot.

- I got it.
- Okay. Great.

- A proper copper potty...
- Esther.

Proper pot of coffee
in a proper coffee pot.

Let it loose. And…

Action.

It's bad, Adam. It's bad.

It's a bit of bad press over
a silly financial document.

It will blow over.

Listen, you had a hell of
an idea for a business,

you built it into something that far
exceeded my wildest expectations,

and now you're gonna f*ck it
all up over all this nonsense?

What are you talking
about "nonsense," Bruce?

- Nonsense?
- The succession plan.

What about the succession plan?

Rebekah gets to
choose your successor?

This is about to be a public
company. Not a monarchy.

But it is. It is like
a monarchy, okay.

My family is the moral
compass of this company.

See? You have to stop
saying things like that.

I am now begging
you. Please, please.

What if I give you something
else? Give me 24 hours.

Benchmark invested 16.5
million in We Work,

and you've already cashed out
over 300 million worth of shares.

You've made 20 times your
investment, and, and,

you'll make another
billion from the IPO.

So don't talk to me about nonsense,
Bruce. My nonsense has made you a fortune.

We just need to get in
front of the investors.

The road show, it
starts next week.

And for the ones who can't meet me
in person, we're making a video.

We're bringing in the crew from
Hollywood. We've spared no expense.

And trust me when I say this,
trust me, I will bring my A-game.

Okay.

Okay. Okay.

This is it.

I am committed to building
not just a good business,

- but a great company.
- What?

- And I promise, in my decisions…
- They're running it.

- …I will remain loyal to whatever is...
- sh*t.

Again.

You got it.

I am committed to building not just
a good business, but a great company.

And I promise

that in my decisions,
I will remain loyal

to whatever is best in the
long term for the greater We.

Our employees, our
members, our partners,

our investors and, most
importantly, our planet.

So come with me, and let's
build the future together.

Good.

- Good? Good? Great?
- Yeah, great actually.

- Great.
- I heard a "great."

- That was great.
- Esther?

- It was great. You did it. You did it.
- I heard a "great."

- You did it. You manifested it.
- Did you have any doubt?

- No, didn't have any doubt.
- No, no, you had no doubt.

- Nothing.
- Okay.

You manifested it.

Damian, how was it?

Damian, my PR guru,
how was it? Okay?

I think we're finished.

- Hey, yes!
- Okay.

- Are you gonna tell them?
- f*ck no.

- Thank you all…
- Where are you going?

Back to the style section.

He's a g*dd*mn punch line.
"Neumann is known for making claims

such as becoming the
world's first trillionaire,

becoming president of the
world, and living forever."

Sounds like a maniac.

It's humiliating.

He will never survive this.

Survive it? No,
he's dead already.

No, I am talking about us.
This is humiliating for us.

Bruce, he's gotta go. Partying has
long been a feature of his work life

maniac.

The guy's a nut job…

All those in favor, please
signify by saying, "Aye."

Aye.

Call his office and
get him down here.

Yes, I understand it's urgent.

Good morning!

Okay.

'Cause we are going
to IPO in two weeks.

Adam, an IPO is out
of the question.

I don't accept that.

- Adam.
- I don't accept it.

- And furthermore…
- Adam. Adam.

…I don't believe you
have the faith in me...

Adam.

The board voted this morning.

We want you out.

Call the lawyers.

Yeah. Which one?

All of them.

Oh, thank you.

Well,

I have no idea how you got your
investors to agree to this,

but your "super voting" shares
give you 20 votes on each share.

You basically control 65% of the
vote on any corporate matter.

So you're right,
they can't fire you.

- Good.
- Great.

Now we fire them.

Which ones?

Every single person
on the board.

Robb, why don't you take this?

Legally, yes, you
could fire them.

But you do need a
board of directors.

Why?

It's required by state law.

The question is…

Can we change the law?

That might take a while.

Okay...

We can appoint anyone we
want to the board, correct?

Who we like, who we
trust, who we can

- we feel has the right energy.
- Yes. Yes, yes.

Jen, Matthew?

Birdie. Phil.

- Unfortunately…
- Yes.

…the NYSE and NASDAQ exchanges
require them to be independent.

Legally, the board is meant to
provide experience and advice.

God.

Okay, so what about.

Elon?

Well...

Elon.

Elon's a peer, right? So he can't tell
you anything you don't already know.

- I think...
- True.

I think Warren. Or Bill.

Obama.

Barack's great, but
he's not a businessman.

If you try to fire the board,

you're looking at a
lengthy legal fight.

And based on what you've told
us, that's time you don't have.

Look, you don't have
a legal problem.

You have an image problem.

The public markets want a
steady hand at the wheel.

Not a rock star.

Okay, you're talking
about gravitas.

- Exactly.
- Okay.

Show them that you can
run a public company.

Gravitas. Gravitas.

Perfect.

Where's Adam?

The natives are
getting restless.

Dude, what... Nobody uses
that expression anymore.

Well, we need to say
something to them.

- Me?
- You're the co-founder of the company.

Yeah, dude, you got this.

- You're gonna be great.
- They're scared. Speak to that fear.

- Okay.
- They know your face.

- Use your height.
- Tell them everything's cool.

- Everything's gonna be taken care of.
- Everything's okay.

- Easy.
- Loose. Loose, loose, loose.

It's okay.

Everyone.

Excuse me, everyone.

Excuse me, everyone!

Hey...

Excuse me, everyone.

Please, guys.

Guys... Sorry.

Hey... Hi, everyone.

Happy Monday.

Good morning. TGIM, right?

Is Adam fired?

What? No.

Everything... Everything's
under control.

What about the IPO?

What happens with
our stock options?

Are we getting fired?

No, no one is getting fired yet.

- Yet?
- What does that mean?

No. Guys, listen. Hey,
hey, hey, everyone.

Look, I know you're all looking
for a little reassurance right now.

And you deserve that. So…

There's a few things I can say.

It's every...

Every little thing…

Every little thing Is
gonna be all right.

I said don't worry.

About a thing.

'Cause every little thing
Is gonna be all right.

Said don't worry...

Oh, thank God. Adam's here.

Adam, everyone.

Colleagues,

friends and family.

This is a pivotal moment.

And I am so proud, so very grateful
to have you all gathered here today.

There's a lot of
noise out there.

A lot of gossip, a lot of talk.

About me.

About us.

Because that is what people
do when they're afraid.

Do you understand
what we have all done?

Do you understand? We...

We poked the bear.

We poked that bear.

We disrupted a
trillion-dollar industry.

And we will emerge stronger and
more fearless and more revolutionary

than ever before!

Yes!

More dedicated, and
even more committed.

Committed to our mission to
elevate the world's consciousness!

Thank you, Rivka.

And I, I will never not
be the CEO of We Work!

Yeah…

- When I say "We," you say…
- Work.

- We!
- Work.

Step down.

Who said that?

Who was it?

How dare you?

It's okay. It's okay.

You've lost them.

Your interests and the interests
of your employees have diverged.

No, I don't believe that. I-I just...
They're... They're just scared.

No. They're angry.

They've spent two years, five years,
a decade toiling away for low wages,

for an IPO payday that
now may never come.

- No. It's coming. Coming.
- I mean...

- They will feel used…
- It's coming.

…and they will blame you.

Where do you think The Wall Street
Journal got its information?

The unnamed sources?

There they are.

You're at w*r.

It'll be fought on multiple fronts.
In the boardroom, in the press.

Even here in the halls
of your own company.

Trust no one.

Sorry, are we in a
John Grisham novel?

You're paying me to be dramatic.
That's why it's called crisis PR.

You have to understand, Rebekah,

you and Adam, you
are not people.

- We're not people?
- No. You're products.

The media sold you to the
public once as unicorns,

now they'll sell you
again as villains.

Okay, so obviously we
need to reframe it.

We need to take control of it.
So why don't you put us on CNBC?

- Good idea.
- No.

- I think it's the...
- No, no.

They're making this into a
circus. Let's not help them.

Stay in the foxhole.

I'll say it again,
we are at w*r.

And these are your
foot soldiers.

God help the enemy, 'cause
they're a bunch of freaks.

They don't look like much, but
when I pump them full of Adderall

and turn these sickos
loose, watch out.

You should both have your
offices swept for bugs.

Bugs?

We must be vigilant.
Methodical. Strategic.

No emails, no texts,

no phone calls that
might be overheard.

No false moves. Got it?

Adam?

You want w*r? I'll give you w*r.

Okay. I'll give you w*r!

We're going to w*r!

To w*r, you understand?

- Phil.
- Yeah?

- Pack it up. Pack it all up.
- Okay. I'll go...

Don't forget the whiteboard,
understand? Don't forget it.

- Okay.
- Adam. Adam!

Go, go.

Coming through.
Push, Phil, push.

- Pushing.
- Push.

- Out the way.
- Adam. Adam.

This is proprietary,
you understand?

- If I see this anywhere, anywhere…
- Let's catch the light.

…I'll be forced to take legal
action, you understand? Phil.

- Get his picture. Take his information.
- Whoa, whoa... No, f*ck off.

Get his picture.

- Rivka, cover the board, cover the board.
- I'm just trying to move...

- Cover the board.
- I'm covering the board.

Let's just get it to the house,
okay? Okay. Do you have it?

- Yeah.
- We got it, we got it.

- Okay, here we go.
- Okay.

Okay.

It's okay...

Please, please don't lean the
whiteboards against the wall.

I'm gonna need to ask
everyone to wear booties.

Ingrid? Ingrid.

I think we might need to send
the kids to the Hamptons.

All right, all right. Mommy loves you.
Claudia, Claudia, did you get the booties?

Hello? Yeah, no, I'm sorry,
we just can't comment.

Let me look into that
and circle back to you.

No, no, no.

- Not "circle back." You understand?
- This couch is hand-loomed linen,

so I'm gonna need to
put towels under you.

Oh, my God.

- Angela. Can you get the towels?
- Hello?

No, we're not commenting
on that at this time.

Nope, not commenting.
No comment.

I'm not gonna
comment at this time.

Comment. Please,
please, comment.

Comment. Comment.
Just dig in. Comment.

This, thi... This is w*r. This?

My seven-year-old could answer
the phones and say, "no comment"

with more enthusiasm than this.

Please!

Adam, be respectful.
I'm s... I'm just gonna…

They're the best
in the business.

The best... Well, must not be a very
competitive industry, I have to say.

You could try again in a week.

Again, no comment.

I really have no...

Pardon me.

- Pardon me. Pardon.
- Let me call you back.

- What is your name?
- Chris.

Chris, no more "no
comment," you understand?

No more "no comment."

I'm not paying you guys
a million dollars an hour

or whatever it is
for "no comment."

If someone calls and asks about
tequila, I want you to ask them,

"You ever go to an office party
or go out for work drinks?

Ever heard of a
three-martini lunch?"

Booze has always been a part
of business. You understand?

- You agree. You agree. Thank you.
- Adam.

Thank you very much. No.

- Let's take a break. Honey, let's...
- One moment.

I'm just making a point.
Making a point. Please.

And if they happen to mention
the-the-the trillionaire crap, okay?

I want you to say to
them, "Well, pardon me,"

but what is the headline here?

"Immigrant entrepreneur
dares to dream too big?"

And if... if they dare
to mention my wife,

you say nothing, and
you put me on the phone.

- You understand? Put me on the phone.
- Adam. It's fine.

And then I'll give a comment.

You're not paying
us to fight back.

Then what am I paying you for?

- To deflect. To defuse.
- Please, to... and?

- Thank you.
- To grind them down with non-answers.

- To be boring.
- It's okay, Adam.

Well, they are definitely the
best in the business at that.

- Thank you very much.
- You are paying us to stop the bleeding.

- We know. Thank you.
- So let us do our jobs.

You have made your point.
We are very grateful.

- I need you to center yourself.
- No. It's...

- No. I need you to ce... Adam.
- It's not the time. Not...

You cannot protect this family
if you are not centered.

Close your eyes.

Now breathe in.

And out.

Feel it rise.

Come out through the
top of your head.

And then imagine a golden light.

Do you feel better?

Yes?

Okay. Look at me.

Small men proceed from fear.

We are not small.

I want these people and their
negativity out of my home.

They are ruining my
floors. All right?

Talk to Bruce. Tell
him you can fix this.

He wants to believe
in you. He always has.

Yes.

- Okay.
- Okay.

- Talking to Bruce.
- Yes. Good.

- Calling Bruce.
- Okay.

Thank you for picking up.

I'm coming to see you.

Now.

Perfect. Keep that tone.
Keep that intention.

You can manifest this.

Bruce.

Adam.

Matthew.

And Jacob.

They reached out to me. They had a few
things they wanted to get off their chest.

I see, I see. What
is the expression?

Like rats abandoning
a sinking ship.

Unfortunately, our
ship isn't sinking.

But it's good to know
who the rats are.

Well, we just want what's
best for the company.

What is best for the
company is me as CEO.

- Adam, I don't...
- Always has been, always will be.

Please, you're going to
listen to these two geniuses?

One walks around like a mermaid

and the other has "cock"
written on his forehead.

Please, let the children go home, and
the adults can have a conversation.

- No, let them go.
- No, Adam,

I really don't see any
reason for them to leave.

Fine. Learn something. Grab
a pen. Take some notes.

Take some notes. I'm going
to teach you something.

Okay.

So listen to me.

This is what I'm willing to do to counter
the ridiculous narrative out there.

First, I'm reducing my voting control
from 20 votes per share to 10.

Second, I'm appointing a lead
independent director to the board.

I thought you'd like that.

Third, Rebekah will no
longer choose my successor.

And finally, finally, even
though the board never objected

and everything was entirely
aboveboard, as you know,

I'll be returning
the 5.9 million

that the company paid
me for the We trademark.

So you can see I'm
giving here, Bruce.

I'm giving. I'm giving,
and I'm ready to receive.

You bet on me once.

Believe in me again.

You understand? Believe in me.

You're toxic.

You k*lled the company.

You don't resign,

I'll break your f*cking arm.

Bruce.

I know, I know. But thanks.

Sorry I'm late, gentlemen.

I can see you've gotten started.

No, no... Jamie, I did
everything you asked me to.

- I did it all.
- You did nothing I asked you.

I did everything
you asked me to.

Adam, we cannot take the
company public with you as CEO.

- No one will buy the stock. Adam.
- No, no.

Bruce, I...

No, no. I will never not
be the CEO of We Work.

Okay.

Let's look ahead, shall we?

Please. To the future.

We Work will run out of cash sooner
than you can imagine and go bankrupt.

Your shares will go zero.

The $380 million of personal loans that
you've taken out against those shares

will be called in, and
you will be ruined, Adam.

But, yeah, you'll still be CEO.

We are not your
enemies, Adam. You are.

You are your own worst enemy.

sh*t.

Well?

sh*t!

It was an ambush.

"Unnamed source says

Bruce Dunlevie threatened
to break Adam Neumann's arm

"if he doesn't
step down as CEO."

Just posted on BuzzFeed.

I told you to stay
in the foxhole.

Judas!

Judas and Judas.

Masa, I know it's late there.

Thank you for picking
up. I'll keep it brief.

- Adam.
- You have billions at stake,

and I am the only one who can
safeguard that investment.

You need me as CEO, and the company
must IPO or it'll run out of cash.

There will be no IPO.

If you go forward with it,

you will embarrass yourself,
the company and me.

Stand down.

Masa, listen to me. With all due
respect, I'm not going to stand down.

I will not let you proceed.

What do you mean, "not let" me?

I will not let you.

I will use all my power, all
my resources, to block the IPO,

and you will be
left with nothing.

But there's nothing to
worry about. Adam's all...

You know I don't like it when
you talk about him like that.

No, I don't. No, it's not ok...

There is a spy
outside the building!

A spy. A spy!

Daddy, let me call you back.

Masa, Bruce,
they've hired spies.

Okay, honey.

There's just not spies
outside the building.

- No. There is a spy...
- There could be.

- Ju...
- Yes, yes, yes.

He looked ex-Mossad, right?

Why?


- We're in trouble.
- Why do you think he's a spy?

Because he's standing outside
the building, very intently

listening in my
conversation, eavesdropping.

- Did he have a salt and pepper beard?
- Yes, he had that salt.

And sort of, like,
sad hound dog eyes?

- Yes.
- Okay, my love.

That is Mr. Fishman, in 4A.

He smokes his horrible cigars
outside every single day.

He's lived in the
building for 23 years.

He's not a spy. It's all
right. It's all right.

Was this the call you were on?

"Embattled CEO wanders NYC streets
barefoot, looking frantic."

It's definitely going viral.

Viral?

HomeGardenGnome commented,

"No one who walks around
barefoot in New York

should be in charge of a
multibillion-dollar company."

BirdieBoy says,
"Enjoy the ringworm."

Enough, please. Please. Enough.

Someone just made his bare feet an emoji.
It's being used like a thumbs down.

Machosammy, "Does he
think he's Jesus?"

Babygene7151,

"He's walking around
in filth and excrement.

What a complete
f*cking nut... ".

Enough!

He grew up on a f*cking kibbutz.
He likes to walk around barefoot.

Is that a f*cking crime?

Let it go.

The IPO?

All of it.

No.

You said it was all for me?

And it is.

I don't need it.

Let it go for me. For us.

- You know what happens if I step down.
- I know.

But this…

This is all that matters.

You, me, the kids.

We can live on the farm.

We can be wild. We can

howl at the moon
like the old days.

Will you howl with me?

Money doesn't matter.

The only people who say that
are the ones who always had it.

And maybe having too much is just
as bad as not having any at all.

Trust me, motek.

It's not.

Miggy-Migs.

Hey. What are you doing here?

São Paulo?

Nope. This is Reykjavík.

- In Iceland.
- Reykjavik.

Yeah, we found an old
fish fillet warehouse.

Smelt.

- Smelt?
- Smelt.

They're these little fish.

Apparently, they reek.

We spent 45,000 fumigating.

Whoever smelt it dealt it.

Whoever dealt it, felt it.

Listen. You frustrate me.

Like no one I've ever met.

- Yeah.
- You always have.

But I love you.

You don't deserve this.

I love you too, Miguel.

What are you going to do?

The right thing.

For once.

Is there a motion?

So moved.

Is there a second?

Seconded.

Properly moved and seconded.

All those in favor of
removing Adam Neumann as CEO,

please signify by saying, "Aye."

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Thank you all for making
yourselves available

at such late notice.

I'm sure you have questions,
and I do want to answer them,

but if it's all right, I would
like to say something first.

When I marched into
our architect's office

with the six foundational
principles of WeGrow,

I told him, "Bjarke,
we've got a deadline."

'Cause…

I knew, as a mom,

that it was my responsibility to use
everything I have learned in this world

to reimagine early
childhood education.

Not just for my kids.

But for all children.

What I didn't know was that…

This school would
become my sixth child.

My…

Proudest achievement
after my own family.

Which is why it breaks
my heart to tell you

that WeGrow will be closing at
the end of this school year.

Schools locked next year's
admissions months ago.

- My child is on scholarship.
- Rebekah, what's happening?

I hear you, I hear
you and I promise you,

each and every one
of your children

has learned the meaning of
resilience and adaptability.

What the f*ck are
you talking about?

Resilience and adaptability
won't pay for my kid's tuition.

Okay. Okay…

So, okay, we'll... Loo... I...

- Start your own school.
- You can't be serious.

f*ck you, Rebekah.

- Yeah.
- No way.

"While our business has
never been stronger,

in recent weeks the
scrutiny directed toward me

has become a
significant distraction.

I have decided that it is in the best
interest of the company to step down

"as chief executive."

- Jesus.
- f*cking d*ck.

Hey, Chloe.

She sold that bag to a woman
on the Upper East Side.

She lost $5,000.

What?

I told her to get it.

Hey, where's Bea? I haven't
seen her in a while.

Bea got accepted to
HBS. She peaced out.

Bea got into Harvard
Business School?

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

She wrote her admissions
essay about We Work

and how not to grow a start-up.

Guys. Everyone.

I think he's about to start.

Everyone, can you come, please?

Guys from the computers,
can you bring it around?

Are you gonna sing?

No, I'm not gonna sing.

I know that this has been a…

Confusing and stressful time.

And I know there's been a lot
of rumors and speculation.

About what's happening.

So, I thought you should hear
about the future of our company.

Of your company…

Directly from its new CEO.

- So…
- Okay.

- Cameron Lautner.
- What?

So, Cam.

Is this a joke?

- Come on.
- Whoa.

Adam Neumann.

Boo.

Adam Neumann.

He's been called lots
of things, hasn't he?

What is he, a visionary?

Unicorn? Maverick? A magician?

And like a magician, he's tried
to perform a sleight of hand

over the entire financial world.

Crafted an illusion that you all
were part of something bigger.

What were you gonna do? Raise
the world's consciousness?

Solve world hunger? Care
for all the world's orphans?

Excuse me, how the f*ck is
a shared work space company

supposed to do any of that?

He deluded you. He did!

And what's worse is
you deluded yourselves.

Because you forgot
what every child knows.

Unicorns don't exist.

They don't. Sorry to be the
bearer, but that's the truth.

No matter how much we
might want them to.

So I think it's about time
that we got really honest

about what we actually do here.

We're not here to raise
the world's consciousness.

That's not how capitalism works.

We're here to earn
value for our investors,

and we're going to do that by providing
high-quality shared work spaces

at a competitive price.

And what are you going to get in return?
A fair wage and real profit sharing.

Adam says, "Do what you
love"? Is that right?

"Do what you love, the
money, oh, it will follow."

What?

No, sir. Excuse
me, it's hard work.

That's the truth of it, isn't
it? It's hard f*cking work.

Work sucks and that's
what you've got to do.

That, along with a little bit of
luck, and then you'll make the moola.

So, I want to know
who's with me.

Who's ready to put down
these childish fantasies

of saving the
world and unicorns,

and who wants to be part of
a real, sustainable company,

with a future that you
can really believe in?

- Who's ready? Let me hear you.
- Yeah.

Look, there's an
adult in charge now.

And I assure you,

WeWork's best days are ahead.

Thank you for your
time. Go back to work.

We're f*cked.

We're f*cked!

I divested from the wave pool
company, sold "Air Cannabis,"

whatever he was calling
that f*cking jet.

Got rid of that g*dd*mn school,
and we're still bleeding money

out of our f*cking tits.

We need to do something.

Layoffs.

Layoffs means severance.
Severance means money.

We don't have... We can't
afford to f*cking fire people,

that's how f*cked we are... Yes?

You have the board meeting in a
half-hour. You should get going.

Okay.

Okay. Come on.

We gotta do something,
gotta say something, boy.

Gotta say something.

I don't know what...

What would Adam do?

We need cash. Simple as that.

We need cash or WeWork's
gonna run out of money.

- When?
- Under two months.

What? Are you serious?

How are we finding out about
this now? How is that possible?

Go on, Miguel. Why don't you
tell them how you and Adam

cocked this whole thing up?

We accelerated expansion
ahead of the IPO.

Okay.

Construction is expensive, especially
when you're trying to rush it.

- Yeah. Of course.
- No sh*t.

You were the guys who wanted
to impress the markets, so...

All right, that...
that stops now.

No more new locations.

We already signed the leases.

Oh, Jesus.

How many?

We're doubling in size.

- That's f*cking stupid.
- Time out. Time out! You said double?

All right, all right. So…

We're in a bit of a
pickle, aren't we?

We need billions
of dollars, right?

And we need it in the next
eight weeks, so who do we know?

Well, we have at least one investor
with pockets deep enough to do that.

SoftBank.

They won't come in now. Not while
Adam has the controlling vote.

He's stepped down as CEO,

but the prick still has
the majority of shares.

Which means, CEO or not,
we can't override his vote.

sh*t.

That f*cking w*nk*r.

Money doesn't matter.

The only people who say that
are the ones who always had it.

And maybe having too much is just
as bad as not having any at all.

Trust me, motek.

It's not.

And the only one who
knows that more than me

is Masa.

You see what he's
doing here, right?

Adam knows Masa is trying to raise
$100 billion for Vision Fund 2.

That's going to be impossible
if the f*cking crown jewel

of Vision Fund 1 has
gone bankrupt, right?

Yeah, but if We
Work goes bankrupt,

all of Adam's lenders
are coming for him.

He'll lose everything.

Well, I guess it comes down to
one question then, doesn't it?

Sorry, what question?

Who's gonna blink first?

Masa.

You're the crazier one.

500 million for you
to sell your shares.

Adam?

Are you still there?

Yes.

Did you hear my offer?

Yes.

Well?

No.

What did he say?

He made an offer.
He'll make another one.

Are you sure?

A high-stakes standoff is
playing out behind closed doors

over the fate of We Work.

Yes?

Adam Neumann essentially
getting to ride off

into the sunset, like you said
there, with a golden parachute.

This deal includes $975 million

for a cap-out to buy
shares that Neumann owns,

$500 million for a loan

and $185 million for
a "consulting fee."

He's now going to step
down from the board,

and this will see SoftBank take
80% of this troubled company.

We're already seeing some
employees really worried

about what this massive
payout for Adam Neumann means.

See?

This is all we need.

Water, sun, air, us.

I feel reborn.

What?

Just got the email.

It's official.

Ho...

It's the rights for the
curriculum for WeGrow.

I bought them for you.

Of course, we can't
use the name WeGrow,

but I know you'll
think of something.

Thank you so much.

No, thank you. Thank you.

Oh, wait, honey.
Adam, your goggles.

Don't worry about me.
I know the Dead Sea.

I'm an old Navy man.

Okay, just please. The
salt, your eyes, just...

How are you doing? Do you
want to watch your daddy swim?

You want to watch me? I'm
going look for a whale. Okay.

I'm going to bring one
back for you. You watch!

Adam!

Hello?

Oh, Rebekah. How are you?

How is Tel Aviv?

Good.

Good. I'm looking for Adam.

Yeah. He just went for a swim,

but do you want to
leave a message?

No, no. No message.
Just a question.

For you.

Okay.

Who wins in a fight? The
smart one or the crazy one?

What?

Who wins in a fight?

The smart one or the crazy one?

The smart one.

You're smarter
than your husband.

He said the crazy one.

But it's a trick question.

It's not the smart
one or the crazy one.

Then who?

The one with all the money.

I-I don't understand,
what are you…

You will never get
that buyout package.

Not a single penny.

I will make sure of it.

You and Adam have a deal.

The next time we speak
will be through lawyers.

Ma...

A...

Adam.

Adam. Adam. Adam.

Adam, the money.

The money!

My eyes. My eyes!

- Adam, the money!
- I can't see!

- Adam!
- My eyes, I can't see.

I can't see.

Adam! The money!

Help us! Please!

When I met Rebekah
about nine years ago,

and then she was my girlfriend, um, I
weighed about 20 pounds less than today.

I was smoking two packs
of cigarettes a day,

I had a lot of very
unhealthy habits.

And even though I was a big talker,
I had nothing to show for it.

"The first thing she told me
is, 'You're full of sh*t."

That was the first thing.

"You talk like you are all that, you
literally can't even buy me dinner."

She said, "Even though this...
I do believe in equality"

between men and
women." She said,

"It's okay if you paid for dinner
one time, it's not a bad thing."

Because I would offer to pay,
being polite, and he would accept.

Which just was completely
strange for an American girl.

And she said... she said to me,

"If you don't immediately
stop chasing the wrong thing,

actually find your passion,

find what it is that makes
a difference for you.

Find, and then take that, mix it with
what you do, what you love at the most."

Which in my case is
bringing people together.

And I do happen to love
buildings, I don't know why.

"If you don't find a way to
bring these two things together

and really do something
meaningful for the world,

not only will nothing
you do never really work,

even if something did work,
you'll never feel fulfilled."

She said, "My suggestion for you
is, drop everything you're doing",

go find something real.

Stop worrying about the bottom
line, because it's not about that.

Redefine success and fulfillment
as something greater than yourself,

and the rest will follow." I
have to say, I did all of that.

- Rebekah, I want to say thank you.
- Adam, my love.

- I'd be nothing without you.
- Well put.
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