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Billion Dollar Loser: The Epic Rise and Spectacular Fall of Adam Neumann and WeWork Audio CD – CD, October 20, 2020

by Reeves Wiedeman (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 4,435 ratings
Editors' pick Best Nonfiction
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The inside story of the rise and fall of WeWork, showing how the excesses of its founder shaped a corporate culture unlike any other

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 47 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 it was also a technology company.

Veteran journalist Reeves Weideman dives deep into WeWork and Adams’s astronomical rise—from the marijuana and tequila filled board rooms to cult like company summer camps and consciousness-raising with Anthony Kiedis—for 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.

Previous page
  1. Print length
    1 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Hachette B and Blackstone Publishing
  4. Publication date
    October 20, 2020
  5. Dimensions
    5.75 x 1 x 5.75 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1549107526
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1549107528
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hachette B and Blackstone Publishing; Unabridged edition (October 20, 2020)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Audio CD ‏ : ‎ 1 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1549107526
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1549107528
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.75 x 1 x 5.75 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 4,435 ratings

About the author

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Reeves Wiedeman

Reeves Wiedeman

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Reeves Wiedeman is a Contributing Editor at New York magazine. He has written for The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Rolling Stone, Harper's, Men’s Journal, and other publications.

Billion Dollar Loser, about the rise and fall of WeWork, is his first book.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
4,435 global ratings
Accurate Title and Helpful Post Script to Personal Ambitions
4 Stars
Accurate Title and Helpful Post Script to Personal Ambitions
This is the 2nd book about WeWork & Adam I have read as a former vendor impacted by this company. It repeats many of the perspectives shared in The Cult of We but offers a few more personal stories and less of the financial specifics behind the “curtain.” Since we don’t have at the moment, an autobiography from Adam or Miguel, we will always be lacking what actually happened. This book adds value to the understanding, as best as it can, to learn just how character and circumstances failed to result in the realization of a vision that had no business, leaning into investor delusions and personal greed and to expect anything but the actual outcome.
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Top reviews from the United States

Martin Mejia V
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, great lesson for entrepeneurs.
Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2023
Verified Purchase
The world is full of braggarts and tricksters. Only responsible hard work leads to long-term sustainable success. The rest is marketing for people who want easy money. This is a great lesson for investors. Anyone easily could bocome a businessman with large amounts of capital and other people's money.
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Charlie
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting
Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2021
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Fast-paced and entertaining, the story of Adam Neumann and WeWork provides an inside look at what a charismatic leader can lead to. I was expecting more of a Theranos-type story, but I would not classify Neumann in the same category. Holmes is a criminal and should be prosecuted whereas Neumann, while definitely shady and hypocritical, was not blatantly dishonest, he was just unable to turn his strategy of growth into profitability. One highlight of the book is you get to meet Masayoshi Son, who has the distinction of losing the most money ever. He is the owner of Softbank and it was largely his capital infusions that allowed Neumann to grow and last so long. This book is written well and the story will keep you intrigued, although at times it seems like the author is taking some liberties to exaggerate for the entertainment factor. This book shows the self-reinforcing mechanisms of hype and not wanting to miss out on the next big thing and is also surprising in how large WeWork's evaluation soared before the inevitable crash.
7 people found this helpful
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Jerry Kowalski
5.0 out of 5 stars A great read
Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2023
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Exceptionally well written and a real page turner. Adam Neuman, a dyslectic college dropout built a cult following through audacity and fearlessness. Like other cult leaders, such as L. Ron Hubbard, Keith Ranieri, Elizbeth Holmes, he promised his victims he alone could lead them to the promised land. Their victims all get sucked into a vortex built on delusions and narcissism.
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Dana Golden
4.0 out of 5 stars A spanning and ingenious if one sided look at spectacular character
Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2021
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This may very well go down as the definitive look at Adam Neumann. It certainly provides a great deal of insight into the man and what drove him, his wife, and his company to the brink of near failure and possible insanity. The book is well-written and never skips a beat. The research provides great detail and insight.
I do worry that the book does not consider the realities of founding a startup that may, within a longer historical context, make Adam's rise and fall a little more forgivable. Had Adam succeeded, I don't know that his vision and reality distortion field would have been seen the same way, and that is a take and context I felt was missing from the book.
Overall, an insightful take on an incredible--almost Shakespearian-- drama.
9 people found this helpful
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M. JEFFREY MCMAHON
5.0 out of 5 stars The Curdling of the Charismatic Leader of WeWork
Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2022
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Reeves Wiedeman has written a complex, nuanced critique of fraudster billionaire Adam Neumann in his aptly titled book Billion Dollar Loser. The handsome brother of a supermodel, Neumann stands six feet five, serves in the Israeli Navy, and comes to America to promote baby knee pads. When that venture fails, he smells out money, marries Rebekah, the rich cousin of Gweneth Paltrow, and teams up with Miguel McKelvey to start the WeWork business, which flourishes like a religious cult for a decade.

Wiedman observes that there is an 18-month work cycle at WeWork. Fresh employees began in a state of euphoria as they worked in a “family,” but within 6 months, they got burned out, and within 18 months they were gone.

Paranoid, egotistical, charismatic, Neumann has all the qualities of a religious cult leader. He talks about love, changing the world, and bringing people together, but his life contradicts his message. We learn that he crams more and more employees into smaller and smaller office spaces while he continually expands his own office. His reckless spending on private jets and other lavish indulges speak to how unhinged he is and there “is no adult in the room,” including his narcissistic wife, to put guardrails on his reckless behavior.

If you want to read a clear, compelling account of this dumpster fire, I can give Wiedeman’s narrative account a strong recommendation.
10 people found this helpful
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Kevin H
3.0 out of 5 stars interesting story. average writing.
Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2024
Verified Purchase
It's a very interesting story about Neumann and seems to be researched based on a lot of hearsay from staff. But it didn't really hang together well as it's a collection of tidbits from multiple sources. Probably needed something from Neumann himself but then the veracity might be in question....worth reading nonetheless.
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Howard D Miller
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read!
Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2023
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This book does a great job filling in the blanks of the Apple TV version WeCrashed! Most remarkable was the failure of the investment community to run a check and balance on what in reality was a simple office leasing company with no competitive advantages.
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Karl V
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, I was hungry for more
Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2020
Verified Purchase
The book was very well written, well researched and thorough. From the standpoint of narrative, I would have liked more of the drama just before, during and after the IPO collapse put under the microscope. I would have liked much more probing of JP Morgan's enabling and ultimate culpability. The focus was clearly on Adam and Rebecca, and that's fair; this certainly heightened the human interest aspect. More reporting on the massive collective failure of the investment banking community (which persisted until the SEC started asking questions), and getting more of these key execs to talk (albeit anonymously) would have been invaluable. All in all, though, it was an excellent read. A good case study of why Wall Street still needs more reform, as well as the opaque venture capital gamesters. Adam and the VCs came out big winners, the employees big losers. Adam and Rebecca are now living the high life in Tel Aviv. So it goes.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Jorge Manuel Mendoza Irene
5.0 out of 5 stars Una reseña de las empresas de nuestros tiempos
Reviewed in Mexico on November 18, 2021
Verified Purchase
Se trata de un viaje al desarrollo y caída de una empresa emblemática, cuyo desarrollo estuvo ligado a la personalidad de sus fundadores. Para un CEO, la lección seria tener claros los signos del momento en que se tiene que retirar.
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Jilla Lonsdale
4.0 out of 5 stars Wow -- what a meglomaniac ...
Reviewed in Canada on March 17, 2021
Verified Purchase
A great recounting of one of the biggest business failures in recent history. A page turner that does a deep dive into the debacle that was WeWork -- he's a meglomaniac of the highest order and the story is a great lesson on how business runs these days. Well researched and a front row seat supported by facts and interviews of those who were ringside for this trip.
2 people found this helpful
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Martin_lsp
1.0 out of 5 stars La portada vino en mal estado
Reviewed in Spain on February 7, 2023
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Tanto la portada como las primeras hojas vienen estropeadas.
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Martin_lsp
1.0 out of 5 stars La portada vino en mal estado
Reviewed in Spain on February 7, 2023
Tanto la portada como las primeras hojas vienen estropeadas.
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WF van der Hart
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting story, but read better business books.
Reviewed in Germany on February 21, 2022
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After reading this book, it left me slightly disappointed. It lacks the depth I am used to reading other business books. But also the story lacks excitement, while other books I've read did a better job of captivating and writing a thrilling and entertaining story. From the beginning it was clear were all this was heading. Building up tension would have done the story more right. Despite this comments it is an interesting story, but maybe the story arc was too flat
One person found this helpful
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Subramanian Seshadri
5.0 out of 5 stars Greed! Greed!!Greed!!!
Reviewed in India on June 11, 2021
Verified Purchase
Five star rating is not for the content but for the way it is written.For people who are familiar with Theranos and Elizabeth Holmes this may be a kind of deja vu. While Holmes is facing criminal charges, at WeWork the investor and investee are the ones who perpetrated the crime in collaboration.Therefore no one goes to jail.
The book captures 10 year history of start,rise,rise and meteoric fall of WeWork.
It vividly brings out how investors after investors are sucked into vortex of valuation game not based on authentic numbers but on the founder's smart glib talk.Eventually some big sucker will have to pay for all the past demeanours but in this case the big sucker is the one who is also one of the causes for the company's downfall.
Excellent read if you want to know about new age capitalism and Venture Capital ecosystem.
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