Adam Neumann: The Real Story Behind WeWork, A $4 Billion Cab Ride, And Surviving A $460 Million Debt

Neumann attributes WeWork's collapse to ego-driven mission drift after a 2016 SoftBank deal, and details the debt crisis and rescue that followed.

• Ego derailment: Neumann says a 12-minute car ride with SoftBank's Masayoshi Son in 2016, ending in a $4.2 billion handshake deal, triggered an ego shift that made WeWork "about the money," the start of its collapse.
• Missed off-ramp: Salesforce's Marc Benioff urged Neumann in 2016 to reject Son's offer and IPO at a $5 billion valuation instead; Neumann says he didn't listen because trust hadn't yet been built.

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