lystn

Was WeWork a tech company? A trillion-dollar business? A way of life? With the benefit of hindsight it’s easy to say, emphatically, “No.” But looking back at the lofty goals and investor enthusiasm that propelled the We Co. to a $47 billion valuation, we’re left wondering if the people involved have learned anything. Here to talk with us about it is Wall Street Journal reporter Maureen Farrell, who co-wrote the new book “The Cult of We: WeWork, Adam Neumann and the Great Startup Delusion.” Plus: Simone Biles, the Food and Drug Administration and polyamory pedantics.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• Read an excerpt from “The Cult of We”
• Revisit our previous episodes on WeWork and SPACs
• “WeWork Prepares For A Second Act — Banking Its Future On The Rise Of Remote Work” from NPR
• “Simone Biles withdraws from women’s team gymnastics at Tokyo Olympics as ROC wins gold” from CNN
• “CDC reinstitutes mask recommendations for some vaccinated people” from The Verge
• “FDA says its ‘working as quickly as possible’ to review for full approval of vaccines” from ABC News
• “Biden Projects Final F.D.A. Vaccine Approval Within Months” from The New York Times
• Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey’s pro-vaccine (but anti-mask) Washington Post op-ed
• “Sallie Krawcheck on what the pandemic means for women’s finances” from Marketplace

Our show needs your voice! Tell us what you think of the show or ask a question for our hosts to answer! Send a voice memo or give us a call at 508-82-SMART (508-827-6278).