Adam Neumann Wants to Reinvent How You Rent—But Should You Trust Him?

Adam Neumann is back. Yes, that Adam Neumann—the co-founder of WeWork who once promised to change the way we work, live, and even think, only to be ousted after one of the most infamous startup collapses in recent memory. Now, he’s pivoting to housing with a brand-new venture that aims to reshape how people rent and live in America. But after everything that happened with WeWork, people are understandably skeptical.

Neumann’s new company is called Flow, and while it hasn’t launched in full yet, it’s already raised a staggering $350 million from Andreessen Horowitz, one of Silicon Valley’s biggest venture capital firms. That single investment is the largest individual check the firm has ever written. The goal? To disrupt the rental housing industry and inject a sense of community, tech, and “soul” into the often impersonal world of multifamily living.

So far, Flow has been acquiring thousands of rental units in cities like Miami, Nashville, Atlanta, and elsewhere. The exact details of the Flow model are still vague, but early hints suggest a mix of tech-enabled property management, community-building efforts, and potentially even equity-sharing opportunities for renters. It’s ambitious—and also strikingly familiar to anyone who remembers the lofty promises that surrounded WeWork’s early days.

For many, that’s the big red flag. Neumann’s time at WeWork was marked by lavish spending, erratic leadership, and a culture that often blurred the line between hype and reality. There were private jets, tequila-fueled meetings, and real estate deals that personally enriched him while the company lost billions. WeWork’s attempted IPO in 2019 turned into a full-blown fiasco, leading to massive layoffs, a plummeting valuation, and Neumann’s eventual exit—with a golden parachute worth hundreds of millions.

Now, with Flow, he’s once again positioning himself as a visionary—only this time, the playground is your apartment instead of your office. But critics are asking: can someone who helped crash one of the most overhyped startups of the decade really be trusted to reinvent housing? And more importantly, will renters actually benefit from this, or is it just another real estate play wrapped in buzzwords?

One thing’s for sure: Adam Neumann knows how to attract attention—and money. Whether he can finally deliver on one of his big visions remains to be seen. But as Flow prepares to launch, the real estate world (and anyone who rents) is watching closely.