ADAM NEUMANN

WeWork is my fifth venture. I failed in my first, second and third, had mediocre success in the fourth.

If you're going to build a business that's based on community, your business has to have community in it.

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?

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.

My wife is absolutely one of my key advisors. She comes from a background that's very different than mine.

You never know who you're talking to. Don't limit a young student's dream, because that's how we change the world.

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.

I would not have guessed how much I love being a father.

How do you change the world? Bring people together. Where is the easiest big place to bring people together? In the work environment.

It's one thing to change regulations on the city level, another on the state, and still another on the federal. The higher the levels are, the more difficult change gets.

We always wanted to create a business that makes a difference in the world.

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.

I try to surround myself with people smarter than me - if I'm the smartest guy in the room, I change rooms.

Globalisation for a startup is exciting; you have to learn so fast about the different cultures of the world.

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.

When I came to the U.S., I tried to take shortcuts to make money - but everything crashed.

Before I started WeWork, I owned a baby clothing company based in Dumbo, Brooklyn.

Do I think people who need a good opportunity become harder workers sometimes? Yes.

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.

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.

It takes courage to be an entrepreneur.

The good thing about India is that they believe something great about themselves.

If you are open-minded and you let the universe come in, you never know where things might go.

I'm dyslexic.

Finishing what you started is important.