Can this $16 Billion Startup Take Over the World?

WeWork CEO Adam Neumann has built a Starbucks-style home for creatives to get #$%& done. All he has to do now is live up to his $10 billion–plus valuation, shush the haters, and bend society to his idealistic worldview.

- Sarah Kessler

A Beatles chorus bounces off the bare concrete walls of what was once J.P. Morgan’s headquarters. “Come together, right now.” The nearly 1,000 chattering WeWork employees who fill the event space look toward the stage, expecting CEO Adam Neumann to appear from the wings any second now. Instead, he sprints down the center aisle, and giddy conversations evolve into a cheer. When John Lennon trills “Over me,” Neumann leaps onto the stage, sticking the landing.

“Wow,” he begins, in his slight Israeli accent, as he turns to survey the crowd, which has traveled to New York from all over the world for We- Work’s second annual employee summit this past January. “There were only 250 people the first time. If you’re one of those 250 people who were here January of 2015, make some noise!” Screaming and applause. “Now, if you weren’t, raise your hands and make some noise!” Another wave of enthusiasm fills the cavernous old bank.

“That’s the first lesson of teamwork,” Neumann concludes. “Two-fifty can easily make more noise than 900.”

Neumann, who’s wearing a gray T-shirt that exclaims NEVER SETTLE, paces the stage, rhythmically waving his arm as he urges the group to reach for its full noisemaking potential. “I just want to share with you guys what is happening around you,” he says. The 36-year-old Neumann, with his shoulder-length dark hair, six-foot-five frame, and proclivity for black leather jackets, resembles a rock star. But the atmosphere here, especially at 10 in the morning on a Friday, is more tent revival than rollicking concert. Employees participate with the fervent obedience of true believers; there’s nary an eye roll in sight.