The Wall Street Journal‘s profile of WeWork CEO Adam Neumann is full of fascinating details (including the revelation that he hopes to live forever and has invested in a “life-extension startup”), but one incident in particular stands out. In 2016, shortly after laying off seven percent of his workforce to cut costs, Neumann reportedly brought out tequila shots and one-half of Run-DMC to entertain his remaining employees.
“A few weeks after Mr. Neumann fired 7% of the staff in 2016, he somberly addressed the issue at an evening all-hands meeting at headquarters, telling attendees the move was tough but necessary to cut costs, and the company would be better because of it,” the story notes. “Then employees carrying trays of plastic shot glasses filled with tequila came into the room, followed by toasts and drinks.”
The tequila shots to toast layoffs would be a weird enough move on its own, but as The Journal notes, Neumann had a special guest waiting that left some employees scrambling to understand what the hell was going on.
“Soon after, Darryl McDaniels of hip-hop group Run-DMC entered the room, embraced Mr. Neumann and played a set for the staff,” the publication says. “Workers danced to the 1980s hit ‘It’s Tricky’ as the tequila trays made more rounds; some others, still focused on the firings, say they were stunned and confused.”
That’s….one way to do things, we suppose.
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