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Revealed: WeWork co-founder and ex-CEO Adam Neumann surfed the Maldives while company burned!

Better than Nero!

Maybe the best person to purchase professional surfing, after we bring the World Surf League low, is WeWork’s co-founder and ex-CEO Adam Neumann and I know what you’re thinking. I know you you scratching your head and mumbling, “Adam Neumann? Nothing but bad press surrounding that man. A horrible choice for anything at all…”

…Except maybe professional surfing and we must head straight to Business Insider for the reason why. Shall we?

While executives were preparing paperwork for a public offering that would enrich the WeWork cofounder and CEO Adam Neumann, he was on a surfing trip in the Maldives.

And much of the preparation and drafting of WeWork’s IPO paperwork, or S-1, took place at Neumann’s Hamptons home, The Wall Street Journal’s Maureen Farrell, Liz Hoffman, Eliot Brown, and David Benoit reported on Thursday.

It was there that Neumann invited the heads of the two stock exchanges competing for the WeWork listing — the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq — and asked them to pledge their support to environmental causes, such as eliminating meat and banning single-use plastics in their offices, The Journal reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.

But at one point in the drawn-out S-1 preparation process, Neumann was thousands of miles from the Hamptons, surfing in the small Indian Ocean island republic of the Maldives. To avoid cutting the trip short and missing out on the swell, Neumann had a WeWork employee fly out to brief him, according to the report.

The surf trip came as WeWork seemed to be barreling toward a giant public offering that would value the company at as much as $100 billion and make its thousands of employees rich. But the S-1 prospectus that was eventually released revealed a company that was losing billions of dollars and let Neumann run things in questionable ways.

Tell me you aren’t won over.

Tell me you don’t love the man’s Hardened Purist spirit.

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nyc surfing golden boy

is he buddies with Ethan Osborne and will he be pulling for the Israeli national team at the Olympics??

Huli Opu

I agree. Anything wrapped in bacon is good

Dogsnuts

I’m guessing no. Especially if it was barreling.

James Bickerton

Put him in a Barrel and send him over the falls ….. Victoria or Niagara ?

Magnum

Surfers are the worst.

SSD

Waterman of the Year.

James Bickerton

Let’s hope he ends up trying to sell ICE to the Eskimos and they use him as bait to catch …. whatever they like …. Polar Bear ?

channelbottom

You do, of course, understand what happened the last time that a bunch of chucklefucks from the Internet decided to push for the leadership of an unsuitable person?

Chief Hot stuff

Julia Gillard?
We really dodged a bullet there.
She didn’t want gay marriage
And made sure that lots of refugees drowned
What a neanderthalette!

Shore pound

I’d love to lose billions of dollars and go surf to commiserate.

Lemon Next to the Pie

He got paid 1 billion to fuck off. That’s pretty good fuck off money in any language.

mike m

If Miki Dora was a natural grifter who liked to surf, Adam Neumann is the ubermensch-grifter who likes to surf. Noone will ever touch him, as far as being a successful clown who played the bankers, he can buy the Maldives now.

Chas Smith

My 1988 Ford Bronco that got 8 miles to the gallon then caught on fire and almost burned Southern California down was sustainable.

James Bickerton

No matter was destroyed , the atoms and molecules just changed position and partners on the dance floor we know as the universe …….

Sustainable;

1)able to be maintained at a certain rate or level.

“sustainable economic growth”

2)conserving an ecological balance by avoiding depletion of natural resources.

“our fundamental commitment to sustainable development”

I think our man, though promising definition 2 ,had definition 1 in mind and failed both brilliantly ….

Lemon Next to the Pie

Can you define ‘trickle down economics’ with a working example?

Speaking of, The Dollop Podcast: Eps 300 (2 parts) is a wonderful explanation of how Trump got where he got in business. It’s not about his politics, but more about his ethics. It’s mind-blowing that he has been allowed to get where he is.

SSD

But he’s one of the chosen few that really are changing the world. Maldives trip helps his process and we should thank him. Very least commit to not using air conditioning or heating in his honor.

Jody Highroller

One of my favorite things from the articles about him is that several of the conference rooms at WeWork HQ feature large pictures of him surfing. Need to find those pictures….

SSD

Definitely! Probably the size of a billboard. What better curators than BeachGrit?

channelbottom

Scott.
How’s your dad?

SSD

Doing better, thank you.
Luckily is in fairly good shape but a ways to go. Kind of a mind warp that Im at this stage in life.
Goes by way too fast.
Appreciate your concern, you’re a solid dude, CB

channelbottom

I’m glad to hear he’s OK.
Life’s more and more of a headfuck as we get older, ain’t it?

SSD

Thanks, my man!
Sure is….Three kids, youngest turning 18 next month, has been a doozy. Now the parents at old age. Time is at warp speed!

SectionSB

I dunno whats up with your dad , but hoping it works out. My mom said time flows faster and faster as you get older. gotta stop and savor the good stuff. Peace to ya!

SSD

Thanks brother! Had a couple of strokes a month ago while he and I were over on the Big Island. Got him to the ER, barely had a pulse and was there for a week. They put in a pacemaker and a bunch of other procedures. He’s on the mend now and very lucky to be not totally messed up.
Time absolutely gains speed every year, crazy how that works.

Otto

Glad to hear your Dad is on the mend Brother!

SSD

Thanks Otto! How’s glamis?

Otto

Having fun Brother! Lots of VAL clowns out and about, so gotta keep my head on a swivel ya know. Luckily, they want nothing to do with the big bowls. Fear the Witch’s Eye VALs. Fucking fear it!!!!

It’s funny how VALs are such an invasive species in numerous pursuits of anti-depressive activities. Clogging line-ups on sand hwy.

SSD

Glamis has suffered from them since the early 90s! VALs and the mind warped party people running each other over in the big weekends. Remember the casualties reports on the news after Thanksgiving weekend? Wild times!

Otto

Yeah. Thanksgiving weekend always has its fair share of casualties. Seen a couple head-ons this weekend. A few moto-x take diggers. All good in our camp. Good crew. Know their shit.

SectionSB

Wow…glad it worked out, and that you were there for him. You only get one set of parents, politics can get ugly, but when they leave, you cant even argue anymore, let alone reconcile. Wish you and your family the best in these times.

The trick with the time thing, so I’ve heard/read, is to not become jaded, but let everything appear as new, as when you were a kid. Didnt that jesus guy say something about that? IDK
Easy to say, hard in practice.
Old grumpsters “Yeah wind is up, it probably sucks, lets watch football.” Frothing groms “Come on come on, hurry up, its gonna be great, screw that TV!!!”

SSD

Most definitely! Thanks for the perspective and kindness!
Avoiding being jaded and deep cynicism is a good idea.

Chief Hot stuff

I’ve been there too champ.
He’s lucky to have you.

SSD

Thank Bexy, I don’t even know what to say! That means more to me than I could even begin to put into words. In all sincerity, Im verklempt. I’m charting new territory with all this, your insight is invaluable.
How old is your dad and how is he these days? If memory serves correct, he took a bullet for country in the middle East? I have the highest level of respect for you and him.
Cheers, my esteemed friend!

Chief Hot stuff

Wow your very kind!
Yeah my old boy had a short brain illness , not stroke, and checked out about 12 years ago. It was of course heavy.
It’s can be very surreal.
However he got to 80 and I feel he was satisfied.
You’ll be ok.

Jody Highroller

Y’all notice ‘barreling towards a giant public offering’? Classic. Should have gone on to say ‘public offering that ended up dashed on the reef of over-optimistic assumptions.’ Or something.

Black Rubber

When a CEO isn’t aware of meeting tools that allow him/her to attend meetings online from remote locations, that should be your number one sign its time for a change.

Superworm

WeSurf was probably taken

channelbottom

How about Skyping from your sweet custom Samsung board with touchscreen technology, while dodging barrels in the Third World?

YEEEEEW!!!

mine.mine.mine

fuck me.. I knew he was a VAL fucker.. I knew it when I read that… such a fucking stereotype

Craig

What’s a val fucker?

Chas Smith

Everything’s sustainable if you only believe.

channelbottom

Like those dreams where I can fly by running down a hill and just not putting my feet down and leaning into it.

Superworm

Upvote for your random use of italics

channelbottom

Random?! It was for emphasis, sir.

Beef & Beer

Haha classic
Different to mine, which are more like I’m walking along but can jump up and starting paddling hard and then swim in the air, swoop down to gain speed and paddle hard to gain height sorta thing hahaha

Chief Hot stuff

My whole life I’ve had this recurring dream where I can not so much fly but take a step and not need another for quite a while.
What does it mean?

channelbottom

You are a statuesque blonde?

Owen's Outgoing Tide

His word is his blonde (?)

SSD
James Bickerton

If you were a motorcyclist your name would be Casey STONER …..

James Bickerton

I believe I can fly
I believe I can touch the sky

The reality was I couldn’t really fly ( ok 1m ) but surfed for Sky ….

James Bickerton

Especially Lies ,untruths and inter subjective entities ?

Numbnuts

Boom! Another t shirt is born

Poop Stance

Unrelated but does anyone else wonder if Matt Meola gets confused about whether he’s being hooted into waves, or called off them when in Spanish speaking countries. “Mi ola, MI OLA PUTA MIERDA!!!”

James Bickerton

I speak Spanish like a French cow ( je parle français comme une vache espagnole ) and once got lost in conversation after the second sentence in a bar in Mundacca when I didn’t realize that the typical Spanish greeting and the word for waves was very similar ,at least to my limited brain , and was luckily saved from nodding stupidly by my mate , a French Alonzo ….. so assuming in French this translates roughly to

Ma Vague …. Ma Vague Putain de Merde ? excuse my French …..

astro

Tbh – I preferred it when we were grumpy locals.
This whole hardened purist thing seems a bit mutually inclusive ….
Ps. fuck Neumann. He’s a jerk.

Chief Hot stuff

If you label me you negate me.

Audit In Progress
James Bickerton

Repo man minus Repo man = ? A Liberal non liberal ?

Chief Hot stuff

We just banned walking on rocks.
See ,we do helpful things

James Bickerton

‘‘Tis better to give than receive . Thanks Bex !

Chief Hot stuff

You’re welcome
We believe it can really help kids in need in the out back.
I mean who needs tourist dollars?

James Bickerton

Rex Bex , they could , I suppose , repossess the whole country which was somewhat dubiously taken away …… Hey Captain can you see anyone walking around on this land …. Nah let’s just say , for the books , it’s empty ….. Terra nullius and all that jazz .

Chief Hot stuff

Help me Rhonda!

James Bickerton

The tourists could always climb the model of Uluru at the garage on the site of the old Leyland brother’s World while cruising up the Pacific Highway just north of Raymond Terrace ?

Chief Hot stuff

Now that’s sacred!!

OwenWrong

It burnt down, maybe last year.

James Bickerton

No way !

Waterproof Polo

Ahh Karuah. Where dreams go to die.

James Bickerton

Where are we Mike ? Up shit creek without a paddle Mal .
So today folks we are going to show you Shit Creek ……

f u

I thought being a grumpy local was all about being inclusive.
edit: i agree astro, I meant exclusive
though it could be either depeding on your perspective maybe

Shore pound

He’s ‘our’ grumpy local


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