WeWork: Or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn is a
documentary film which premiered at South By South West (SXSW) in March 2021. It was released on US television (Hulu) in April 2021.
This film is about Adam Neumann and the company WeWork which he co-founded in 2010.
Here is some basic information about this film:
** Producer: Ross M. Dinerstein
** Writer and director: Jed Rothstein
** Distribution: Hulu
** Run time: 104 minutes
This film covers the rise and fall of WeWork, which was co-founded by Adam Neumann and Miguel McKelvey in 2010. The company expanded extremely fast. Surprisingly fast.
In September 2019, the value of the company was assessed to be 47 billion dollars. But only six weeks later, the company collapsed and its value was reduced to almost nothing.
The CEO Adam Neumann was fired. But the company continued to exist, although it was a much smaller version than before.
Apparently, the reduction in size and ambition was not enough to save the company. In November 2023, it filed for bankruptcy.
How is the rise and fall of this company covered?
Writer and director Jed Rothstein has interviewed some of the people who used to work for the company.
Their observations are useful. They help us understand what was happening behind the polished façade of WeWork.
In addition, archive footage is used extensively to cover events which happened in the past.
Neither Adam Neumann nor his wife Rebekah Neumann wished to be interviewed, but they are seen in several old clips.
What do reviewers say about this film?
Here are some results:
** 61 percent = Meta
** 66 percent = IMDb
** 62 percent = Rotten Tomatoes (the audience)
** 76 percent = Rotten Tomatoes (the critics)
According to the ratings, this film is good but not great. The ratings correspond to a point somewhere between three and four stars on Amazon, but they do not go all the way to the top.
On IMDb, there are 24 user reviews of this product; 23 with a specific rating. Here are the headlines and the ratings offered:
30 = Poorly executed
40 = Lots of millennial whining
40 = Too long. Unclear. Aimless
40 = “We” is upside down to confuse you into working for “Me”
50 = Informative but poorly executed
50 = The dreams of a narcissistic salesman who believes he is the greatest businessman alive
50 = More about the cult leader & not the downfall
50 = Nothing original
50 = WeBored
50 = The difference between a great salesman and a successful businessman
60 = “The most precious resource we have is time”
60 = Well edited and informative
60 = Tommy Wiseau’s little brother
70 = Interesting
70 = Just like Theranos… Except he doesn’t go to jail. Instead, he thrives
70 = I can’t stop shaking my head
70 = You, Sir, are no Steve Jobs
80 = WeWork was not what I thought it would be
80 = Quite fascinating, but could’ve been shorter
80 = The narcissist with a genuinely inspiring vision and a MeRich syndrome
80 = Typical but enthralling, nonetheless
100 = Brilliant. Yet another disaster many should have seen coming
100 = Why We are in the mess the We created
As you can see, the user reviews posted on IMDb are all over the place. They run from a low rating of 30 percent to a high rating of 100 percent.
I agree with the conclusion which emerges from Rotten Tomatoes: this film is good but not great. In my opinion, it deserves a rating of four stars (80 percent).
REFERENCES
# 1. Books
Billion Dollar Loser:
The Epic Rise and Fall of WeWork
By Reeves Wisemann
(2020 Hardcover)
(2021 Paperback)
The Cult of We:
WeWork, Adam Neumann,
and the Great Startup Delusion
By Eliot Brown and Maureen Farrell
(2021 Hardcover)
(2022 Paperback)
# 2. Film and video
We Crashed:
A Love Story Worth $47 Billion
A historical drama which premiered in 2022
A miniseries with eight episodes
*****
A documentary film which
premiered in 2021
Adam Neuman liked to say:
The keyword is We!
But according to his critics,
the real keyword is Me!
*****
From the left:
** Rebekah Neumann = Adam's wife
** Miguel McKelvey = co-founder
** Adam Neumann = co-founder
*****
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