From Shared Office to $47B Valuation: Adam Neumann’s WeWork 🏢💻 Adam Neumann wasn’t a typical real estate entrepreneur. In 2010, he and Miguel McKelvey launched a coworking space in Brooklyn after noticing young entrepreneurs hated traditional office leases but loved working around other creative people. They created a lifestyle brand around work, complete with free beer, networking events, and a cultish “do what you love” philosophy. The breakthrough came when they convinced investors they were a tech company, not a real estate business. While traditional office companies traded at 15x earnings, WeWork claimed to be worth 100x revenue because they used an app and collected data. At its peak, WeWork reached a $47 billion valuation and became Manhattan’s largest private office tenant. Then came the spectacular fall—a failed IPO, $1.6 billion in losses, and Neumann’s forced exit. What can we learn from WeWork’s rise and fall? Storytelling Can Trump Reality: Neumann’s ability to sel...