Former CEO Adam Neumann Not Backing Down in Fight For WeWork

Adam Neumann, the former CEO of WeWork, has not given up on his efforts to reclaim the company despite his $650 million bid being rejected last week. 

Speaking at the Bloomberg Tech Summit in San Francisco, Neumann expressed his determination to continue the bid process — criticizing the current restructuring plan as “definitely unfeasible” and based on overly optimistic performance benchmarks. 

According to Bloomberg’s coverage of the event, Neumann sees a future where WeWork’s office spaces and Flow’s apartment buildings might be integrated under one company. Flow is Neumann’s latest start up. 

However, Neumann’s critique of the existing restructuring plans reveals a deep divide between his vision for WeWork’s future and the current management’s approach. 

WeWork is approaching its May 30 court hearing, where it anticipates an approval of its updated bankruptcy exit plan. The deal, if approved, has Yardi Systems contributing $337 million through its affiliate Cupar Grimmond LLC. — which covers the majority of the coworking giant’s $450 million bankruptcy exit plan.   

It’s possible Neumann could challenge the deal by persuading bankruptcy Judge John K. Sherwood to reject the reorganization proposal on May 30. However, Sherwood maintains that it is up to the lenders to decide whether to consider Neumann. 

According to a report from CoStar, WeWork’s advisers have stated that Flow’s proposal is not “actionable” because it must address $4 billion in secured debt that WeWork accumulated prior to filing for bankruptcy.  

If the restructuring is carried out, the Japan-based conglomerate SoftBank, previously WeWork’s largest lender and investor, will see its equity reduced to approximately 16.5%. However, SoftBank’s stake has the potential to increase to 36% if certain financial benchmarks are not met under the new plan. 

The updated proposal is reported to have backing from most owners of WeWork’s $4 billion in senior debt and a committee of unsecured creditors. Neumann could further challenge the proposal, but his offer would need support from many of these senior lenders.