When we went to Argentina two years ago (seems like two decades), it was to visit a company we partnered at work. We were excited to meet face-to-face (those were the times) with people we talked to virtually, to see their office...

There was no office. Oh, there was an office building, a giant skyscraper smack in the middle of Buenos Aires. It was a WeWork building, belonging to a company that had pioneered modern office sharing. Our partners rented a room on one of the floors. When visitors like us came, they rented a conference room to meet. There was a great view from the roof and free beer on tap in the penthouse. It was a nice building.

WeWork was a brainchild of Adam Neumann, an Israeli American. It owned buildings all over the world, for companies who could't afford (or didn't need) their own permanent space. And WeWork was hot, hot, hot... until it wasn't.

In April 2019, WeWork filed for an IPO. Three months later, it was reported that Neumann pulled out $700 million of his own stock out of the company. Then the proverbial feces hit the fan. Lawsuits and layoffs followed. Neumann himself was fired for "tumultuous" behavior. The company's evaluation nosedived. The IPO failed. A takeover pulled out. Today, WeWork is pretty much worthless.

Don't worry about Neumann, however. He pocketed his money and has higher aspirations, like becoming the Prime Minister of Israel, world's first trillionaire, and living forever. Best of luck in those endeavors!

We did enjoy meeting our colleagues in Argentina...