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The Cult of We: Wework and the Great Start-Up Delusion

In "The Cult of We: Wework and the Great Start-Up Delusion," Eliot Brown and Maureen Farrell take a deep dive into the rise and fall of WeWork, the co-working space company that was once valued at $47 billion.

The book chronicles the company's founding by Adam Neumann, a charismatic entrepreneur with a grand vision for changing the way people work, to its spectacular collapse in 2019.

Brown and Farrell argue that WeWork's failure was not simply due to Neumann's hubris, but also to a broader cultural delusion that has taken hold in Silicon Valley: the belief that start-ups can grow exponentially forever.

The authors show how this delusion led to WeWork's reckless expansion, its opaque financial practices, and its ultimate implosion.

"The Cult of We" is a cautionary tale about the dangers of hype and hubris in the start-up world. It is also a reminder that even the most successful companies are not immune to failure.

Key Points

• WeWork's rise and fall was a result of a combination of factors, including Adam Neumann's hubris, the company's reckless expansion, and its opaque financial practices.
• The book argues that WeWork's failure is a cautionary tale about the dangers of hype and hubris in the start-up world.
• Even the most successful companies are not immune to failure.

Conclusion

"The Cult of We" is a fascinating and cautionary tale about the perils of hubris, delusion, and unchecked ambition in the modern business world.