WeWork Co-Founder Adam Neumann Nears Settlement With SoftBank
February 22 2021 - 6:13PM
Dow Jones News
By Maureen Farrell and Eliot Brown
WeWork co-founder and former Chief Executive Adam Neumann is in
advanced talks to settle a high-profile legal fight with SoftBank
Group Corp. by agreeing to a nearly $500 million cut in his payout
from the shared-office-space company's new owner, a move that would
help clear the way for WeWork's second attempt at a public
listing.
According to terms being discussed, SoftBank would spend roughly
$1.5 billion to buy the shares of early WeWork investors and
employees, including nearly $500 million to purchase shares from
Mr. Neumann -- in both cases about half what it originally agreed
to, according to people familiar with the talks.
SoftBank took a majority stake in WeWork after its attempted IPO
collapsed in 2019 when public investors balked at buying the
money-losing company's shares and at Mr. Neumann's conflicts of
interest and erratic behavior. Mr. Neumann stepped down under
pressure as CEO in the wake of the IPO debacle.
The negotiations have been rocky at times and there is no
guarantee they will produce an agreement, but if there is one, it
could be finalized in the coming days, the people said.
Should there be a settlement, it could be followed by another
deal as WeWork is also in talks to combine with a special-purpose
acquisition company, a move that would finally convert it into a
public company.
WeWork has been in talks with a SPAC called BowX Acquisition
Corp. and the two sides could reach a deal in the coming weeks, the
people said. There is no guarantee WeWork will reach a deal with
BowX, and other financing and SPAC options are still on the table,
the people cautioned.
The Wall Street Journal had previously reported that WeWork was
in talks with BowX, which come amid a wave of SPAC deals and a
booming IPO market. A deal could value WeWork at about $10 billion,
people familiar with the matter have said.
The agreement with Mr. Neumann would put an end to a fight that
has its roots in the October 2019 bailout of WeWork by SoftBank,
soon after the IPO fell apart. The Japanese investing giant agreed
to buy $3 billion of shares from Mr. Neumann and others as part of
a deal that also pumped money into the company when it was weeks
from running out of cash. The agreement included a four-year, $185
million consulting fee for Mr. Neumann, an enormous golden
parachute that was criticized at the time.
Last April, as a deadline approached for SoftBank to complete
the share purchase, the firm reneged, saying certain conditions of
the payment hadn't been met, including the restructuring of a China
subsidiary. Mr. Neumann and other early WeWork investors sued,
starting a legal skirmish that was set to go to trial in early
March. SoftBank discontinued payments on Mr. Neumann's consulting
fee amid the legal fight.
WeWork has been a black eye for SoftBank, as most of the $10
billion it invested vanished, at least on paper. Besides cutting
its bill to bail out WeWork, resolving the dispute would help pave
the way for a listing that could inject new cash into the company.
For Mr. Neumann and the other investors, it would enable them to
avoid the risk of getting nothing if SoftBank prevailed at
trial.
SoftBank's decision to withhold the $3 billion payment came as
the coronavirus pandemic decreased the need for office space and
put a major dent in WeWork's business. The company's value shrunk
to $2.9 billion, SoftBank told investors in an earnings
presentation in May, from $47 billion at its peak. WeWork, which
rents office space on long-term leases and then subleases it on
shorter terms after completing hip renovations, cut thousands of
jobs and withdrew from dozens of buildings around the world.
The company is still awash in red ink, though far less than
before.
Under current Chief Executive Sandeep Mathrani, who joined in
early 2020, WeWork has cut its cash burn from a high of $1.4
billion in the fourth quarter of 2019 to $517 million in the third
quarter of 2020.
Now, its executives are betting that WeWork's flexible offering,
which allows companies to rent monthly or yearly instead of
signing, say, 10 year leases, will be a hit among those that want
to rethink their office space post-pandemic. Mr. Mathrani said
recently he believes the company will turn a profit in the fourth
quarter of 2021.
Write to Maureen Farrell at maureen.farrell@wsj.com and Eliot
Brown at eliot.brown@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
February 22, 2021 17:58 ET (22:58 GMT)
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