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Billion Dollar Loser: The Epic Rise and Spectacular Fall of Adam Neumann and WeWork Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Reeves Wiedeman (Author), Will Collyer (Narrator), Little, Brown & Company (Publisher)
4.4 out of 5 stars 4,608 ratings
Editors' pick Best Nonfiction

A Wall Street Journal Business Bestseller: This "vivid" inside story of WeWork and its CEO tells the remarkable saga of one of the most audacious, and improbable, rises and falls in American business history (Ken Auletta).

​Christened a potential savior of Silicon Valley's startup culture, Adam Neumann was set to take WeWork, his office share company disrupting the commercial real estate market, public, cash out on the company's forty-seven billion dollar valuation, and break the string of major startups unable to deliver to shareholders. But as employees knew, and investors soon found out, WeWork's capital was built on promises that the company was more than a real estate purveyor, that in fact it was a transformational technology company.

Veteran journalist Reeves Weideman dives deep into WeWork and its CEO's astronomical rise, from the marijuana and tequila-filled board rooms to cult-like company summer camps and consciousness-raising with Anthony Kiedis. Billion Dollar Loser is a character-driven business narrative that captures, through the fascinating psyche of a billionaire founder and his wife and co-founder, the slippery state of global capitalism.

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  1. Listening Length
    10 hours and 51 minutes
  2. Author
    Reeves Wiedeman
  3. Narrator
    Will Collyer
  4. Audible release date
    October 20, 2020
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Little, Brown & Company
  7. ASIN
    B08KYLWLK6
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length 10 hours and 51 minutes
Author Reeves Wiedeman
Narrator Will Collyer
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date October 20, 2020
Publisher Little, Brown & Company
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B08KYLWLK6
Best Sellers Rank #108,281 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#212 in Workplace Culture (Audible Books & Originals)
#350 in Biographies of Business Leaders
#463 in Biographies of Business & Industrial Professionals

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4,608 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this book to be a page-turner with a compelling story and exceptional writing style. Moreover, the book receives positive feedback for its thorough research and insight, with one customer noting it's a must-read for tech and growth investors. Additionally, customers appreciate the character study, with one review describing it as an excellent character study of uncontrolled greed and ambition. However, the pacing receives mixed reviews, with several customers noting it starts out slow.

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36 customers mention "Readability"36 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging, describing it as a page-turner, with one customer noting it's a must-read for tech and growth investors.

"Exceptionally well written and a real page turner...." Read more

"...A desrth of details? Who knows? In any case, it’s worth the read." Read more

"...himself but then the veracity might be in question....worth reading nonetheless." Read more

"...All in all, though, it was an excellent read...." Read more

29 customers mention "Story quality"29 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's story compelling and well-written, describing it as an incredible history.

"...many of the perspectives shared in The Cult of We but offers a few more personal stories and less of the financial specifics behind the “curtain.”..." Read more

"It's a very interesting story about Neumann and seems to be researched based on a lot of hearsay from staff...." Read more

"Excellent writing made a compelling story with a very honest accounting of much of what is intriguing while broken in start-ups." Read more

"A great tale from a first published writer of our postmodern times where Gen-ex children of the altruistic baby boomers of..." Read more

29 customers mention "Writing style"25 positive4 negative

Customers praise the writing style of the book, finding it exceptionally well written and easy to read, with one customer noting it reads like a movie script.

"...The book is well-written and never skips a beat. The research provides great detail and insight...." Read more

"Exceptionally well written and a real page turner...." Read more

"It read like a movie script. How could this be real? If anything, the story of Adam Neumann is equally a story about his multitude of enablers...." Read more

"Excellent writing made a compelling story with a very honest accounting of much of what is intriguing while broken in start-ups." Read more

14 customers mention "Insight"14 positive0 negative

Customers find the book insightful, praising its thorough research and excellent reporting.

"...The book is well-written and never skips a beat. The research provides great detail and insight...." Read more

"...This book adds value to the understanding, as best as it can, to learn just how character and circumstances failed to result in the realization of a..." Read more

"The book was very well written, well researched and thorough...." Read more

"The book is well researched and written, definitely worth a read. However one aspect does puzzle me...." Read more

9 customers mention "Investment value"9 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's investment value, with one customer noting it serves as a great lesson for investors, while another highlights its excellent balance between business aspects.

"...This is a great lesson for investors. Anyone easily could bocome a businessman with large amounts of capital and other people's money." Read more

"This book is a lesson on the dangers of investing. Anything that sounds too good to be true usually is. Failure is 9/10 of the world...." Read more

"...curriculum and learnt so much about business acumen, big mistakes businesses can easily make, and important crisis comms that companies need to be..." Read more

"...said, the book was highly interesting and I think every startup founder and startup investor should read it for the lessons within." Read more

7 customers mention "Character study"7 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character study in the book, noting the interesting circumstances and cult of personality, with one customer describing it as an excellent examination of uncontrolled greed and ambition.

"...It certainly provides a great deal of insight into the man and what drove him, his wife, and his company to the brink of near failure and possible..." Read more

"...quite a bit about Neumann's psychopathy, lack of ethics, and cult of personality...." Read more

"...and an excellent balance between the business side and the personalities. A classic tale of hubris gone awry." Read more

"...Reeves Wiedeman makes the characters of this story real and somewhat understandable. His reporting is thorough and entertaining. Great read." Read more

8 customers mention "Pacing"0 positive8 negative

Customers find the pacing of the book slow and tedious, with one customer describing it as a slog to finish.

"...all the details in this story of a rise and fall, the part of the fall was weirdly so quick. A rush to publish? A desrth of details? Who knows?..." Read more

"The book starts out slow but it really picks up the pace about a quarter of the way in...." Read more

"It was difficult for me to get into the storyline but once I did I was hooked. What an amazing and long rise and such a quick fall. A mist read" Read more

"...It’s a little slow at times but overall it’s very interesting and at times fascinating." Read more

Accurate Title and Helpful Post Script to Personal Ambitions
4 out of 5 stars
Accurate Title and Helpful Post Script to Personal Ambitions
This is the 2nd book about WeWork & Adam I have read as a former vendor impacted by this company. It repeats many of the perspectives shared in The Cult of We but offers a few more personal stories and less of the financial specifics behind the “curtain.” Since we don’t have at the moment, an autobiography from Adam or Miguel, we will always be lacking what actually happened. This book adds value to the understanding, as best as it can, to learn just how character and circumstances failed to result in the realization of a vision that had no business, leaning into investor delusions and personal greed and to expect anything but the actual outcome.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Martin Mejia V
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, great lesson for entrepeneurs.
    Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    The world is full of braggarts and tricksters. Only responsible hard work leads to long-term sustainable success. The rest is marketing for people who want easy money. This is a great lesson for investors. Anyone easily could bocome a businessman with large amounts of capital and other people's money.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Dana Golden
    4.0 out of 5 stars A spanning and ingenious if one sided look at spectacular character
    Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    This may very well go down as the definitive look at Adam Neumann. It certainly provides a great deal of insight into the man and what drove him, his wife, and his company to the brink of near failure and possible insanity. The book is well-written and never skips a beat. The research provides great detail and insight.
    I do worry that the book does not consider the realities of founding a startup that may, within a longer historical context, make Adam's rise and fall a little more forgivable. Had Adam succeeded, I don't know that his vision and reality distortion field would have been seen the same way, and that is a take and context I felt was missing from the book.
    Overall, an insightful take on an incredible--almost Shakespearian-- drama.
    9 people found this helpful
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  • Jerry Kowalski
    5.0 out of 5 stars A great read
    Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Exceptionally well written and a real page turner. Adam Neuman, a dyslectic college dropout built a cult following through audacity and fearlessness. Like other cult leaders, such as L. Ron Hubbard, Keith Ranieri, Elizbeth Holmes, he promised his victims he alone could lead them to the promised land. Their victims all get sucked into a vortex built on delusions and narcissism.
    Helpful
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  • T. Scott
    4.0 out of 5 stars Accurate Title and Helpful Post Script to Personal Ambitions
    Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    This is the 2nd book about WeWork & Adam I have read as a former vendor impacted by this company. It repeats many of the perspectives shared in The Cult of We but offers a few more personal stories and less of the financial specifics behind the “curtain.” Since we don’t have at the moment, an autobiography from Adam or Miguel, we will always be lacking what actually happened. This book adds value to the understanding, as best as it can, to learn just how character and circumstances failed to result in the realization of a vision that had no business, leaning into investor delusions and personal greed and to expect anything but the actual outcome.
    Customer image
    T. Scott
    4.0 out of 5 stars
    Accurate Title and Helpful Post Script to Personal Ambitions

    Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2021
    This is the 2nd book about WeWork & Adam I have read as a former vendor impacted by this company. It repeats many of the perspectives shared in The Cult of We but offers a few more personal stories and less of the financial specifics behind the “curtain.” Since we don’t have at the moment, an autobiography from Adam or Miguel, we will always be lacking what actually happened. This book adds value to the understanding, as best as it can, to learn just how character and circumstances failed to result in the realization of a vision that had no business, leaning into investor delusions and personal greed and to expect anything but the actual outcome.
    Images in this review
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    2 people found this helpful
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  • Jose Mari Magpayo
    5.0 out of 5 stars Riveting read of a cautionary boom/bust tale
    Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    It read like a movie script. How could this be real? If anything, the story of Adam Neumann is equally a story about his multitude of enablers. The lesson? You lay success brick by brick, often reassessing if the wall you are building is still part of the overall design. He lost his way, big time. For all the details in this story of a rise and fall, the part of the fall was weirdly so quick. A rush to publish? A desrth of details? Who knows? In any case, it’s worth the read.
    Helpful
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  • Kevin H
    3.0 out of 5 stars interesting story. average writing.
    Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    It's a very interesting story about Neumann and seems to be researched based on a lot of hearsay from staff. But it didn't really hang together well as it's a collection of tidbits from multiple sources. Probably needed something from Neumann himself but then the veracity might be in question....worth reading nonetheless.
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  • Amanda B. Clinton
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating portrait of entrepreneurship & business
    Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Excellent writing made a compelling story with a very honest accounting of much of what is intriguing while broken in start-ups.
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  • Karl V
    4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, I was hungry for more
    Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    The book was very well written, well researched and thorough. From the standpoint of narrative, I would have liked more of the drama just before, during and after the IPO collapse put under the microscope. I would have liked much more probing of JP Morgan's enabling and ultimate culpability. The focus was clearly on Adam and Rebecca, and that's fair; this certainly heightened the human interest aspect. More reporting on the massive collective failure of the investment banking community (which persisted until the SEC started asking questions), and getting more of these key execs to talk (albeit anonymously) would have been invaluable. All in all, though, it was an excellent read. A good case study of why Wall Street still needs more reform, as well as the opaque venture capital gamesters. Adam and the VCs came out big winners, the employees big losers. Adam and Rebecca are now living the high life in Tel Aviv. So it goes.
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Martin_lsp
    1.0 out of 5 stars La portada vino en mal estado
    Reviewed in Spain on February 7, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Tanto la portada como las primeras hojas vienen estropeadas.
    Customer image
    Martin_lsp
    1.0 out of 5 stars
    La portada vino en mal estado

    Reviewed in Spain on February 7, 2023
    Tanto la portada como las primeras hojas vienen estropeadas.
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  • Valerio Pastore
    5.0 out of 5 stars The highest you fly, the harder you fall!
    Reviewed in Italy on August 20, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    What a ride!!! So far, to me, WeWork was just another fancy name related to creating workstations and employee-friendly environments... And, instead, through this book I discovered a trove of realities behind an immense scam based, as it often happens, on the charisma of an egomaniac but capable salesperson.
    Wall Street creates and feeds false legends -WeWork was one of them, but when the cards are on the table the hand that fed you can beat you down. This is the story of how it took 10 years to create a personality cult and a few months to destroy it!
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  • Jorge Manuel Mendoza Irene
    5.0 out of 5 stars Una reseña de las empresas de nuestros tiempos
    Reviewed in Mexico on November 18, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Se trata de un viaje al desarrollo y caída de una empresa emblemática, cuyo desarrollo estuvo ligado a la personalidad de sus fundadores. Para un CEO, la lección seria tener claros los signos del momento en que se tiene que retirar.
    Report
  • Balaji Ramachandran
    5.0 out of 5 stars A factual account written like a Hollywood Thriller
    Reviewed in India on January 2, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Brilliant. Unputdownable .

    Though it's based on real life incidents the weaving of the narrative is taut , crisp and keeps you on the edge.

    Delves into the rise and fall of Adam Nueman ( as the title suggests) and the world of start up funding by Global VC funds .

    A must read for anybody who wants to get insights into this world of Start-Scale up- Sell out world of Business
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  • Biker
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
    Reviewed in Australia on November 25, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Hard to put down; a rollicking tale where fact surpasses fiction - you could not make most of this stuff up - no one would believe it. A Pre sequel to the demise of a President. Hubris will out!
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