Listen Now: WeCrashed

American Scandal

Wondery

True Crime, Exhibit C, Society & Culture, History, Documentary, History Daily, American History Tellers, Lindsay Graham

4.6 • 18.7K Ratings

🗓️ 1 April 2024

⏱️ 6 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The founders of WeWork thought they were on the brink of making history. The company was valued at $47 billion dollars, ready for a huge IPO, and its charismatic CEO Adam Neumann believed he was going to change the world. Adam and his wife Rebekah had a prophet-like vision—but did it ever match the company's reality? Now the inspiration for a new AppleTV+ series starring Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway, WeCrashed: The Director’s Cut is a complete refresh of our original six-part series. Hosted by David Brown of the hit podcast Business Wars, this six-part series includes new interviews and new discoveries about the rise and fall of WeWork. It’s a story of hope and hubris, big money and bigger screwups, and the lengths people will go to chase “unicorns".

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Transcript

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0:00.0	It's January 2019 and you're one of thousands of we work employees flying into Los Angeles from all over the world
0:06.8	Ashton Kutcher is on stage and the red-hot chili peppers are there for a private concert. This is the most extravagant company event you have ever seen.
0:15.6	There's just one problem.
0:17.6	Adam Newman, the charismatic CEO of We Work, is spending investors money at a reckless rate.
0:24.0	And in a few months, the illusion of this revolutionary
0:27.3	unicorn company is going to fade away.
0:30.3	We crashed is a six-part series about the meteoric rise and swift fall of We Work hosted by me David Brown
0:37.3	Join me as we discuss new details about the company including Adam's wife Rebecca Newman,
0:42.6	and her involvement in the company.
0:44.4	You're about to hear a clip from We crashed.
0:46.9	You can follow We crashed on the Wundery app,
0:49.2	or wherever you get your podcasts.
0:59.0	It was June 2017 and the Barclay Center in Brooklyn was packed.
1:03.0	Nearly every seat of the arena was filled with thousands of Baruch college graduates and their families.
1:08.0	I'm looking at all the parents, I'm looking at balloons, I'm seeing horns, just people smiling. I think I had a smile on my face, probably the whole time.
1:15.6	Quamid Francis was graduating second in his class, which meant he had one of the best seats in the house.
1:21.2	I was on stage and it was just like, wow, I'll be seated next to, you know, some
1:26.3	distinguished people.
1:27.8	The year before, Senator Chuck Schumer had been the commencement speaker.
1:31.5	This year though, was different because this year the person
1:35.0	giving the speech was also graduated just like Quamet.
1:38.9	Welcome, Peru College Class of 2017.
	...

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