WeCrashed review: Equal parts love story and office drama, with a dash of black comedy

A new Apple TV+ series deep-dives into a dramatized recreation of the rise and fall of Adam Neumann. A self-described serial entrepreneur, Neumann is the co-founder and former CEO of WeWork, which he founded along with Miguel McKelvey in 2010. The company was valued at $47 billion in 2019. But in less than a year its value nosedived. When a proposed IPO exposed chronic financial issues, Neumann and his wife Rebekah were forced to step down and relinquish their shares in the company.

Inspired by the true story of Adam Neumann and based on the podcast WeCrashed: The Rise and Fall of WeWork, the eight-hour-long, eight-episode series is equal parts love story and contemporary office drama with a shot of black comedy that captures the modern obsession with start-ups, unicorns and the rapid rise of entrepreneurs.

Neumann pitches all kinds of crazy ideas, such as collapsible high-heeled shoes for women. One quick-buck idea is to host a terrace party which is where he meets yoga instructor Rebekah. He stalks her till she finally relents. That’s his modus operandi, to wear down his target. He sees their Achilles Heel and gnaws at it till they cannot resist his elevator pitch.

WeCrashed is the quintessential rise and fall story of a maverick, sometimes described as a magician, a unicorn whose luck ran out, a man and wife propelled by hubris. Before he enters the office, Neumann’s assistant ensures that the volume is turned up to blast Katy Perry’s ‘Roar’. They have drunken Thank God It’s Monday parties. Rebekah and Adam are dismissive of the plaints of female workers. The WeWork office is steeped in testosterone and machismo, with a hint of the scent of Rebekah’s faux spirituality in the air. Rebekah and Neumann glide into their office like rock stars. There’s a telling scene when Neumann inverts the letters WE so they read ME.