WeWork

A company I didn't know that existed, ran by a guy who was believed to be Jesus Christ. WeWork is a good concept. It just needs to be executed properly.

It's hard to write this review without using cliches such as 'millennials are the new/improved boomers' but I'll give it a go.

When an entire generation is so willing to buy into a hivemind idea such as WeWorks, it says more about the society we live in rather than the generation, itself.

That being said, charismatic leaders seem to emerge today with so many bells and whistles that it's hard to denounce their likable aspects without being castigated from society. Despite ample evidence to support the thesis, many threw caution to the wind to prop up this snake oil salesman (and his incredibly insufferable wife) for the 'greater good'- despite all evidence to the contrary.

What's most appalling is, his lack of responsibility and his ability to leap from this unscathed- with millions upon millions of dollars and untold stock options, with absolutely no reasonable accountability on his behalf.

At what point does society start to value the whistleblowers who are sounding the alarms well ahead of the catastrophic events that lead to inevitable destruction? When we have untold resources to explore and contradict even the most enigmatic megalomaniac, and not a single journalist with esteemed credentials will finally stand against the wave of backlash to say 'enough is enough, we're building a hero out of a pile of dung!'

Society created this monster, and far too many people went willingly down his path to sing 'KUMBAYAH!' but lacked, I don't know, confidence I guess?, to ask reasonable questions that likely lead to this nutjob being unemployed.

What this documentary shows us is a whole gaggle of people who suspected a fraud, but couldn't admit to themselves (or others) what he truly was, and even more people far too naive and inexperienced to know that this was a scam of immeasurable proportions.

We're so focused on teaching college students the ins and outs of virtues and justice that we're neglecting to teach rational and cognitive skills. As well as parents so willing to perform mental gymnastics in order to appease these little egomaniacs, that there's no ability to discern right/wrong or decent/immoral on their own.

A solid documentary that points out these fatal flaws we've inflicted on an entire generation- now only if we are able to glean the necessary information to affect real change.

A few years ago while traveling around Southern California, I noticed the WeWork sign popping up on buildings. At first, I thought it was an employment agency moving in, then I was told that it was floors of suites for rent. I thought that was great because when I was in College, I had heard of "Fegen Suites". Those were the first in floors of offices Lawyers/Attorneys and Government rented.

Fegen Suites shared a common reception area (usually two or three receptionists behind a nice large desk), a few folks in another room answering their phones and taking messages if they wanted (They could have the phones ring through to them if they chose) and could share an administrative area with copy machines, computers, etc. On that floor. It had conference rooms. It was a cost saving measure for young lawyers/attorneys starting out.

These grew popular as top entertainment companies and government offices started using them for "extra office space". Then new Production Companies were using them for their offices, and many small businesses started to rent them, all for the same reason. They did have 'top' real estate salespeople/companies to help rent these suites, and they were consistently full -- even a wait lists. That's what led me to believe that's what WeWork sounded like, but possibly now have been updated for the digital generation of those just starting out.

Boy was I wrong!

I watched this documentary, and it was like watching a horror show on so many levels! I had no idea WeWork was like this at all! The documentary takes you through the two founders Neumann and Miguel, but centering mostly on Neumann and his sales techniques into having young people buy into this WeWork experience. It came across like a Real Estate Cult with Neumann at the head. I had never seen anything in real estate quite like this (and I saw the beginning of house flipping!! Guys, it didn't start as legit as the shows now show.)

This "salesman", Neumann seemed to cultivate a mesh between a pyramid scheme and a cult where he and his wife (who did a few movies and was related to Gwyneth Paltrow - big whoop!) conned banks out of now millions off the sweat of wide-eyed, well meaning young people who fell for his con and did all the work while he took all the glory. What a racket, as as with all rackets this plummeted fast.

The documentary does a good job of telling the tale of WeWork through employee and others interviews, spots of Neumann's ego appearances on programs and films of employee camps, etc. But Neumann and his wife "did not participate in the making of the documentary". Why should they? What can they say to make any real sense out of this? I've seen just about enough to see why WeWork fell so quickly from grace. However, Neumann and his wife will still walk away with a big payday and according to the documentary have already set their sights on something new.

Throughout watching all i kept thinking was how would Tommy Wiseau rent office space? And what kind of summer camp would he run? And what would his S1 look like?

I love these peeks into the top 1% and how they go there. If there's one thing all the CEO/founders of all these companies have in common is that they are all assholes. I guess you have to be able to turn off empathy to exploit your workers. Spoiler, he gets a $1.7 BILLION payout on the end. Did he do anything wrong? Legally, looks like not. Morally, 100%