Discoveries #11 | Meeting Adam Neumann and the Importance of Vision
Welcome to Edition 11 of Discoveries. Each week, I share inspiration on design, product building, and what's next.
Meeting Adam Neumann and the Importance of Vision
This week I was listening to an A16z podcast interview with Adam Neumann—the once-crowned King of Real Estate turned cautionary tech tale turned...something new.
It reminded me of the time I met the man himself in, of all places, a five-seat coffee shop on the North Shore of Kauai.
I’ve followed Adam’s wild ride for years: from his WeWork empire and its Icarus-like plummet to the mysterious emergence of his latest venture, Flow. So you can imagine my surprise when, a few years back, I sat down in a coffee shop and saw that hair and those vibes. Sure enough, it was Adam—flanked by his wife, six kids, and two very tired-looking assistants. It felt like a WeFamily offsite.
Naturally, I gave him a fist bump (as one does when they spot a billionaire founder in board shorts) and told him I’d been tracking his journey as an entrepreneur. I expected a quick nod and a polite exit—but instead, he lit up and dove right into a full-blown conversation.
Within eight seconds, I understood how this guy raised billions and inspired thousands to join his mission. His charisma wasn’t just high—it was gravitational. And it didn’t feel like the performative, LinkedIn-optimized kind. It was genuine. Curious. Disarming.
When he asked what I did, I told him about BoomPop and our mission to bring people together. His eyes lit up. Community is Adam’s thing. It’s why he started WeWork. It’s why he’s doing Flow. And in that moment, inside that postage stamp of a coffee shop, we had a founder-to-founder moment.
We talked for a while—observing the quiet chaos of his kids, who were conducting what I can only describe as a caffeine-fueled Cirque du Soleil act in the background. At one point, he asked me to email him to talk about potential partnership opportunities. As an unproven founder at the time, I left that coffee shop feeling like I’d just pitched on Shark Tank… and the shark asked me for a follow-up.
Side note: One of the funniest parts of our convo was his not-so-subtle humblebrag about his surfing skills. I was like, “My guy, you’re a billionaire, I believe you can catch a wave.”
At the time, Adam had just raised $400 million from a16z for Flow, and most of tech Twitter had written it off as a redemption vanity project. But after chatting with him and later learning more about the vision, I have a hunch he’s going to surprise people.
Here’s the thing: love him or side-eye him, Adam Neumann has been one of the most influential people in real estate in our generation. Real estate tends to evolve at a glacial pace. Adam strapped a rocket to it—and yes, maybe also forgot to install a brake system.
But he made coworking cool. He made it aspirational. He built culture around a lease agreement.
Now, he seems a bit more grounded. A little more introspective. Adam Neumann 2.0 feels like someone who’s learned from both his wild success and his spectacular fallout. And that’s a rare and powerful combo.
Vision is a rare skill in entrepreneurship—and he’s got it in spades. I’ll be rooting for Flow.
Product Inspiration
I used to share an office with this talented crew and it's been awesome watching their progress. They’re taking lidar tech—the same stuff behind self-driving cars—and reimagining home security from the ground up.
What I'm Reading
🔗 Feel Busy All the Time? There’s an Upside to That.
Turns out loving the chaos isn’t so crazy after all. Validation feels good 😄
Other Finds
Whenever I need a kick of energy, I put this on.
Notice not a single phone is out. Pure in-the-moment joy.
Have a great week,
Blake
P.S. I'm always looking for feedback. Reply and let me know what you think! (I reply to every email)
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