As the world becomes a more digital place, we cannot forget about the human connection.
Adam Neumann
I believe that when you do what you love, you find higher levels of satisfaction that can compensate for lower income.
The most precious resource we have is time.
Success is not just making money. Success is happiness. Success is fulfillment; it's the ability to give.
How do you change the world? Bring people together. Where is the easiest big place to bring people together? In the work environment.
Before WeWork, I had a baby clothing company. When I started out, I had no real contacts in the garment business and no mentor to guide me on how things worked. I just had an idea to put pads on the baby clothes on to protect the baby's knees.
As far as WeWork is concerned, we're not competing with co-working spaces; we're not competing with office suites. We're competing with work. We think there's a new way of working in the world, and it's just better. For the millenials and everybody that understands collaboration and the sharing economy, that's just the right way for them.
If more people follow their superpowers - and everyone has one - then we're going to be better as a society.
Let's not look at working hard as a negative; let's look at it as an uplifting opportunity for us to be better.
Before I started WeWork, I owned a baby clothing company based in Dumbo, Brooklyn.
If you are open-minded and you let the universe come in, you never know where things might go.
You never know who you're talking to. Don't limit a young student's dream, because that's how we change the world.
I think all of us naturally want to be a part of a community... at home and at work.
I try to surround myself with people smarter than me - if I'm the smartest guy in the room, I change rooms.
During Shabbat, I am completely cut off, there is no one to talk to, and I do not compromise about it.
As a child who lived in a lot of places, one of the hardest things for me was to join a new community. It was hardest at the kibbutz, but that was also one of the most impressive communities.
The right people don't care about a corner office - they care about the culture, if you're mission-driven, what you're going to do to make the world a better place.
After I arrived in the United States, I realized that in the army, Israelis learn how to be part of something bigger than themselves.
I believe that if you regularly make the right choice - and it takes practice; it takes effort - the more you make the right choice, the easier it gets.
Life is about being present. Sometimes your home will demand more attention, and you should be there. Sometimes your work is more demanding. But the beautiful thing when you create your life's work is that it always feels like you're on a mission.
I'm dyslexic.
If your business is the right business, then money will never be an issue.
The one thing we learned about community - you can't force community.
If you really want to change the world, change kids when they're two.
One of the difficult things in a high-growth company is that, even with the best intentions, the company moves so fast, and growth happens so regularly. When you move at that rate, you have to be willing to change, and you have to be willing to take advice.
Be the guy that delivers the goods and consistently promise things that you can deliver. Even if you under-promise, it's better than over-promising and not delivering, because you don't get a lot of tries.
Huge success is very hard to come by.
WeWork is my fifth venture. I failed in my first, second and third, had mediocre success in the fourth.
Technology has made it possible to order food, buy clothes, get a ride - anything you can think of, really - at the touch of a button. But what about having the right people near you when you need them?
The good thing about India is that they believe something great about themselves.
WeWork is a platform that is powered by technology. Our members are running their entire experience with WeWork through the app.
When I moved to New York City from Israel, I came here with the idea to get a great job, have tons of fun, and make a lot of money. Growing up in Israel, I watched a lot of American TV, and I thought it's what the 'cool' people did, and I wanted the same thing.
Finishing what you started is important.
My wife is absolutely one of my key advisors. She comes from a background that's very different than mine.
When I came to the U.S., I tried to take shortcuts to make money - but everything crashed.
If it's servicing a real need, that doesn't go away in a recession. If you're serving a true need, and if you have a loyal group of customers that are falling... As the world goes through a tough time, these customers will stay with you.
I actually think most people do what they love because it's really important to them.
There's no one person that can provide all the insights I need to run the business. There are so many aspects to WeWork: Digital, real estate, operations, space, and design. I pick and choose people who can help in each aspect.
New York is the new Silicon Valley.
I met with my spiritual teacher and went to a therapist. I realized that if I came from a positive place, not only will everyone feel better and I will feel happier, but the company will work better.
When I met my wife, I was focused on making money but failing miserably.
The '90s and early 2000s were the 'I' decade. iPhone, the iPod - everything was about me. Look where that got us? In a terrible recession.
Mentorship plays such an important role in business - we know it's a must - and I believe schools should embrace it in a much fuller way.
I learned a lot in the naval officers' course. It gave me a lot.
I happen to love buildings, and my passion is bringing people together.
Serving in the Israeli Army taught me what it means to be part of something greater than yourself.
I do believe that mentorship is something I did not get in school, and I don't think it exists in school in a sufficient way.
I never had a traditional mentor. I know people who have been successful with a mentor, but I've never understood why I should limit myself to the knowledge and expertise of one person.
When I started at Baruch in January 2002, I was almost 23 years old. I'd previously spent five years as an officer the Israeli Navy. I did what I thought you were supposed to do at that age - a little studying and a lot of trying to have fun.
When I was a little kid, me and all my family lived in a house the size of my daughter's room.
