WeWork Part 4: WeWork Sued Her the Same Day
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07/09/20 • 31 min
3 Listeners
What happened at WeWork when things got ugly between the company and its employees? As WeWork expanded, a handful of employees wanted to speak out and interrupt the public image that WeWork was presenting to the world. In this episode, reporter Ellen Huet follows the stories of two former workers, some of the first insiders to speak up about what they saw on the job.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What happened at WeWork when things got ugly between the company and its employees? As WeWork expanded, a handful of employees wanted to speak out and interrupt the public image that WeWork was presenting to the world. In this episode, reporter Ellen Huet follows the stories of two former workers, some of the first insiders to speak up about what they saw on the job.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Previous Episode
WeWork Part 3: Is Naked Pete Coming to Summer Camp?
To its thousands of employees, WeWork was much more than a job. Founder Adam Neumann leveraged his employees’ emotions to motivate them. In exclusive tapes obtained by Bloomberg, Adam lectured employees that working at WeWork was special: “You do not get a chance like this again.”
In this episode, a former employee describes the tumultuous experience of working inside WeWork’s headquarters, from their raucous parties to the late night meetings.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Next Episode
WeWork Part 5: The Universe Does Not Allow Waste
Adam Neumann always had wild ambitions. By 2017, he had found an even wilder investor who wanted to fund those ambitions: SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son. Adam spent his billions from SoftBank on competitive tactics, seemingly random investments, and even an elementary school. In this episode, reporter Ellen Huet explores why this free-wheeling spending was so odd: Adam knew this was a bad idea. In exclusive recordings from internal meetings in 2016, he warned his employees that they had to cut back on WeWork's "spending culture." But once the money poured in, it appeared like he forgot his own advice.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Foundering - WeWork Part 4: WeWork Sued Her the Same Day
Transcript Summary
In this episode titled "WeWork Part 4: WeWork Sued Her the Same Day," we delve into the gripping story of Joanna Strange and Tara, two former employees of WeWork, who dared to speak out about the problems within the company. Joanna, an operations manager, found herself immersed in the cult-like culture of WeWork and leaked internal information to a reporter, resulting in a lawsuit against her. Despite facing personal and professional consequences, Joanna's actions shed light on WeWork's unstable financial situation. Similarly, Tara, who joined WeWork with high hopes, experienced long hours without overtime pay and questioned her manager classification, leading to her dismissal and subsequent lawsuit. Through their courageous efforts, Joanna and Tara revealed the deeper issues at WeWork, including lawsuits concerning assault, discrimination, and unequal pay. Despite the challenges they faced, their actions ultimately didn't significantly alter WeWork's trajectory, making this episode a compelling exploration of corporate power dynamics and the struggle for justice.
Transcript
Back in things were looking pretty rosy for We Work. The company had just doubled its valuation and raised more than four million dollars from investors, and it was using some of that cash to buy up smaller companies. When We Work bought a company, those employees became We Work employees, and they would start coming to the all hands meetings. We go to do the Monday night meeting and we walk in and the way that it's set up is that, you know, ther
WeWork Part 4: WeWork Sued Her the Same Day Top Questions Answered
How did WeWork acquire smaller companies?
WeWork bought smaller companies, making their employees part of the WeWork workforce.
What were some unusual customs observed during WeWork's all hands meetings?
Unusual customs during WeWork's all hands meetings left some employees feeling bewildered.
What issues did employees begin speaking out about at WeWork?
Employees at WeWork started speaking out about various problems within the company.
What conflicts were highlighted by the lawsuits against WeWork?
Lawsuits against WeWork shed light on conflicts and revealed how the company treated its employees.
Why were employees frustrated with WeWork's lack of transparency and authenticity?
WeWork's lack of transparency and authenticity caused frustration among employees.
What discovery caused resentment towards WeWork's spending practices?
Joanna discovered a plan for significant headcount reduction, leading to resentment towards WeWork's careless spending.
How did WeWork's failure to announce job cuts affect employees?
WeWork's failure to announce job cuts created fear and anxiety among employees.
What consequences did Joanna face after sharing internal information and speaking to a reporter?
WeWork sued Joanna for allegedly stealing documents, resulting in personal and professional consequences for her.
What was the outcome of Joanna's civil case against WeWork?
Joanna's civil case against WeWork ended quietly with a default judgment.
What types of lawsuits were filed against WeWork?
WeWork faced lawsuits related to sexual assault, gender pay disparity, racial discrimination, and ageism, among others.
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