“WeWork” Review

Story posted April 7, 2021 in

A company called WeWork argues that the new way of working is through proper collaboration.

In Hulu’s new documentary “WeWork: or The Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn,” viewers can watch the unbelievable hopefulness of Adam Neumann.

The American Dream has been dissected.

Adam Neumann, an Israeli American businessman, created WeWork in 2010 with the vision to transform the way that Americans worked. He did not like that Americans have been separated by neighborhoods, businesses, and technology.

To combat the division, he decided to create a real estate company, in New York City, that would bring businesses together to make an impact on communities and on the economy.

Neumann bought many buildings to create a lavish, productive space to fill with multiple small businesses. Automatically, it was a success.

People from all over the place were attracted to this idea of togetherness, the idea of ‘we.’
Neumann is a charismatic, charming, and believable man. People wanted what he wanted.

Therefore, everyone did everything they could to flourish the company and most importantly, make the company and Neumann, look untouchable. In no time, WeWork became a billion-dollar company, a unicorn.

In TV interviews, articles, and magazine spreads, WeWork appeared to be growing by the second. Anyone and everyone wanted something to do with it.

The company went from statewide to nationwide to worldwide. WeWork took the world by storm.

But what was going on behind the scenes? The company was not expanding as much as Neumann said it was.

If you want to know more, watch the documentary. Spoiler alert: not a happy ending, frankly, given by the title.

Those who love learning and or hearing about the American economy and businesses, this is the documentary they need to watch. For those who want to learn about one of the most epic, financial collapses, there are better documentaries out there.

This documentary is extremely sloppy and the way the story is told is not true storytelling. First off, Adam Neumann and his wife Rebekah did not want to be a part of the film.

That should have been the first sign that Hulu should wait to make this film. Secondly, the documentary does not tell the story in a steady pace.

It kept flip flopping and it was hard to keep up with. Finally, a documentary is a movie that tells a story in complete detail.

Many viewers will be left with questions about the company and about Adam Neumann.

“WeWork: or The Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn” is an interesting story to tell. It just was not told the right way.

If only this intricate, devastating story was told in chronological, detailed order, this documentary would have been trending and it would have people talking.

Just like WeWork, this documentary is not successful.

Rating: 3/5 

Emily McGlynn is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email at esm5378@psu.edu.