- WeWork is putting the private plane Adam Neumann used up for sale, Business Insider has learned.
- The company bought the luxurious Gulfstream G650 for $60 million last year.
- Some employees told Business Insider the optics of the Gulfstream upset staff, who couldn't get promised bonuses and raises despite the company spending millions on the plane and parties. It also raised red flags with investors.
- WeWork is moving to divest some of its assets, including other businesses it purchased, as the company tries to better position itself for an initial public offering.
- For more stories about WeWork, click here.
WeWork is selling the luxurious plane co-founder Adam Neumann used to travel the world, a symbol of the company's corporate governance issues that in part have derailed its initial public offering.
The company bought the Gulfstream G650 for $60 million last year. Some investors said the private plane was a corporate governance red flags in the lead-up to the company's IPO, according to a source familiar with the matter.
On Tuesday, Neumann said he was stepping down as WeWork's CEO, saying intense public scrutiny of him was a "distraction."
The company's two new CEOs, Artie Minson and Sebastian Gunningham, are looking to offload three businesses it had purchased in recent years: Managed by Q, Conductor, and Meetup.
Multiple employees told Business Insider in recent weeks that staff was frustrated by the company spending so much on the plane and lavish parties, while managers cited lack of resources when they denied promised bonuses and salary raises.
"The company was spending $60 million on an airplane and I can't get a decent raise? It felt like it was 'We over me,' unless me was Adam. And We was Adam," said one mid-level employee.
Another employee who worked on the plane's renovations said two bedrooms were added. The jet has multiple televisions and Apple TV's, and a central computer to run all media. Staff "had to download thousands of TV shows and movies on it for the kids to watch. We literally sat at work for three days straight doing this."
The other modifications were cosmetic, the employee said.
A third employee said the plane functioned as a meeting space for Neumann. Because of his busy schedule, employees struggled to meet him in the office, so he often hosted meetings on the jet.
"I know of instances where people got on the plane, flew across the country, and flew commercial home," said the executive.
Read more:
- WeWork's board just ousted Adam Neumann as CEO - here's who the key players are
- Adam Neumann is out as WeWork's CEO, but that's no 'silver bullet': VCs and proptech experts think it will take cutting passion projects and cleaning house to right the ship
- WeWork cofounders Adam and Rebekah Neumann are close friends with Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner and invited them to Rebekah's extravagant 40th birthday bash in Italy
- The CEO of $1 billion WeWork rival Knotel says the idea of coworking is 'over'
- We got a peek at WeWork's top landlords. Here's who is most exposed to the fast-growing, but money-losing, coworking company as it prepares to IPO.