Dhruv Trivedi
‘WeCrashed‘ follows the tumultuous journey of the shared workspace company WeWork, starting from its inception until its infamous crash in 2019. Apart from Adam and Rebekah Neumann, the couple at the center of the company, the Apple TV+ series folds in a variety of characters that get pulled in by the company’s meteoric growth.
Episode 7 brings Mikey into focus, who seems to have been with the company from the start. Under the influence of some of Adam’s expensive tequila, the WeWork employee reminisces about the early days at the company. Considering much of ‘WeCrashed’ draws from real life, we decided to see whether Mikey was also based on a real WeWork employee. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Was Mikey a Real WeWork Employee?
‘WeCrashed’ features a variety of characters, many of whom are quite closely based on real-life counterparts. These include the likes of Adam Neumann, his wife Rebekah, and fellow WeWork co-founder Miguel McKelvey. Then, there are also characters like Elishia Kennedy and Cameron Lautner who seem to be loosely inspired by real-life individuals but also have some dramatized aspects. Mikey, it appears, is either in the latter category or possibly even a completely fictional character.
Essayed by Alex Vinh, Mikey is depicted as an early WeWork employee who remembers setting up some of the company’s earliest locations in New York. Interestingly, Mikey’s talk of the good old days makes Rebekah quite insecure since she is initially skeptical of WeWork.
Soon after, despite being in an alcoholic haze, Mikey recalls that Rebekah wasn’t around much during the early days, causing Adam to quickly send him away before Mikey causes any more friction between the Neumanns. The reason Mikey is exceedingly loose-lipped is that, moments ago, he has been helping himself to Adam’s stash of expensive tequila. To his surprise, Adam then offers him an entire bottle of the drink, pointing out that it “tastes like money.”
What Tequila Does Adam Neumann Drink in WeCrashed?
On the show, Adam is seen frequently sporting the distinctive narrow bottle of expensive Don Julio 1942 tequila. This is the very same drink he shares with Mikey before giving the latter the entire bottle. As it turns out, the real Adam Neumann also had a fondness for Don Julio 1942. According to the book titled ‘The Cult of We: WeWork, Adam Neumann, and the Great Startup Delusion’ by Wall Street Journal reporters Eliot Brown and Maureen Farrell, in 2015, a plane charter company was told to stock multiple bottles of Don Julio 1942 tequila onboard before Adam boarded.
There were also reports of Adam regularly celebrating in WeWork offices with his tequila of choice. Apparently, employees were well versed with two important requirements for whenever the co-founder visited any of the WeWork locations — bottles of Don Julio 1942 and loud music — which wasn’t turned down even if it disturbed paying customers.
Thus, the Apple TV+ show’s depiction of Adam regularly sporting a Don Julio 1942 tequila bottle seems to be quite accurate. This seems in keeping with WeWork’s notorious party culture under Adam, which occasionally included tequila shots during meetings. There are also reports of office windows being smashed during parties, including one time when the co-founder himself broke a glass panel in the office by throwing a bottle of tequila through it during a staff party.
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