Adam Neumann: This is How You Build Iconic Companies

On this episode of The Ben & Marc Show, a16z co-founders Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz sit down with Adam Neumann—founder of WeWork and now, Flow—to unpack one of the most unlikely comeback stories in tech.

What began as a personal reckoning after a very public fall has become a bold new vision for how we live and belong. Flow isn’t just a real estate company—it’s an operating system for community, built on first-principles software, design, and soul. 

Joined by a16z General Partner Erik Torenberg, the group goes deep on: 

- Why Adam’s childhood shaped his obsession with community 

- Adam’s fall from WeWork—and how he found a new path to redemption 

- How Flow is re-architecting real estate from scratch 

- Why loneliness is the greatest design challenge of our time 

With reflections on dyslexia, the American dream, and the thin line between failure and greatness, this is a candid and wide-ranging conversation about redemption, vision, and building something that matters in this world. We hope you enjoy this deeply human conversation about the future of living. 

Timecodes 

00:00 Introduction 

00:51 Adam's Early Life and Family Background 

07:56 Military Service and Discipline 

10:08 Transition to the US and Education 

14:33 Entrepreneurial Journey Begins 

17:49 The Concept of Flow and Vision 

20:19 Meeting and Partnership Formation 

25:22 Overcoming Challenges and Resilience 

28:30 The Isolation Phenomenon 

29:23 The Power of a Simple Call 

29:37 The Impact of Social Dynamics 

30:03 Navigating Post-Crisis Relationships 

31:50 Real Estate Strategies During COVID 

33:47 The Genesis of a New Venture 

36:47 Lessons from WeWork 

38:49 Building Flow: The Vision 

41:41 The Importance of Alignment 

51:07 Technological Innovations in Real Estate 

55:33 Revolutionizing Real Estate Software 

56:00 Flexible Living Solutions 

56:28 Challenges and Innovations in Multifamily Housing 

57:27 The Future of Rental Markets 

58:11 Young Renters and Market Dynamics 

58:44 Global Housing Crisis and Solutions 

01:01:44 Flow's Vision for Multifamily and Single Family Homes 

01:05:42 Expanding to Saudi Arabia 

01:08:49 Success in Saudi Arabia

01:12:43 Real Estate Funds and Future Plans 

01:20:01 Impact of COVID on Living and Working 

01:25:18 Flow's Mission and Future Potential

Resources: 

Marc on X: https://x.com/pmarca 

Marc’s Substack: https://pmarca.substack.com/ 

Ben on X: https://x.com/bhorowitz 

Erik on X: https://x.com/eriktorenberg 

Erik's Substack: https://eriktorenberg.substack.com/ 

Stay Updated: 

Find us on X: https://x.com/a16z 

Find us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z 

This information is for general educational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy, hold, or sell any investment or financial product. Any investments or portfolio companies mentioned, referred to, or described in this podcast are not representative of all a16z investments and there can be no assurance that the investments will be profitable or that other investments made in the future will have similar characteristics or results. A list of investments made by a16z is available at https://a16z.com/investment-list/. All investments involve risk, including the possible loss of capital. Past performance is no guarantee of future results and the opinions presented cannot be viewed as an indicator of future performance. Before making decisions with legal, tax, or accounting effects, you should consult appropriate professionals. Information is from sources deemed reliable on the date of publication, but a16z does not guarantee its accuracy.