The ex-CEO could glean up to US$111 million from WeWork if the company goes public at a US$10-billion valuation, based on a share-restructuring scheme put in place after the cancelled IPO this year. Neumann left the company in October with US$1.7 billion in severance. SoftBank, the company’s top shareholder, most recently valued WeWork at US$8 billion, down from US$47 billion in January. (Financial Times)

Talking point: The profits are contingent on WeWork going public and Neumann selling a particular class of shares called profits interests. The company maintains that it will eventually list on the public markets, but it will first have to redeem its reputation among investors. Masayoshi Son, CEO of SoftBank, which took over 80 per cent of WeWork in October, admitted to being misled by Neumann in the wake of the failed IPO. The Japanese tech conglomerate has since led a restructuring at the company and slashed expenses, including ousting Neumann and laying off thousands of employees. The changes try to address the investor concerns that toppled the IPO, but the question of whether its core business model—signing long-term office leases to rent to its own tenants—can be profitable remains an obstacle for a future listing.