Tech

SoftBank would buy about 25% of Adam Neumann's stake in WeWork for $480 million under proposed settlement

Key Points
  • WeWork Co-founder Adam Neumann and SoftBank Group Corp are nearing a settlement agreement that would cut the former CEO's payout from the company by nearly $500 million, a source familiar with the matter told CNBC's Deirdre Bosa.
  • Should a deal be finalized, SoftBank would purchase approximately $1.5 billion of shares from early WeWork investors, including almost $500 million from Neumann. The deal would represent 10.5% of WeWork shares, with the price at $19.19 per share, the source said.

In this article

    WeWork co-founder Adam Neumann in talks to sell some shares to SoftBank
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    WeWork co-founder Adam Neumann in talks to sell some shares to SoftBank

    WeWork co-founder Adam Neumann and SoftBank are nearing a settlement agreement that would entitle the former CEO to a payout of $480 million for approximately 25% of his shares in the company, a person familiar with the matter told CNBC's Deirdre Bosa. That is half as many shares as SoftBank originally intended to buy, this person said.

    Should a deal be finalized, SoftBank would purchase approximately $1.5 billion of shares from early WeWork investors. The deal would represent 10.5% of WeWork shares, with the price at $19.19 per share, which is the price that was initially agreed upon, the person said. Neumann would remain a major shareholder in the company.

    SoftBank reached out to Neumann following a report last month that WeWork was in talks to combine with a SPAC affiliated with Bow Capital Management, the source said.

    Talks between Softbank and Neumann were first reported on Monday by the Wall Street Journal.

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