The Delphi Country Manager Know-How Series: Surviving Masayoshi Son and Adam Neumann at WeWork Japan.
The Country Manager as Shock Absorber: Navigating Between Giants at WeWork Japan
Join us for an exclusive, off-the-record session with Johnny Yoo, former Country Manager/CEO of WeWork Japan, as he reveals the reality of leading a hyper-growth unicorn through one of the most volatile corporate collapses in history.
Delphi Essential Country Manager Know-How events are BY Country Managers FOR Country Managers—a precious opportunity to share tribulations and triumphs, and learn from each other in a luxurious and confidential atmosphere. Attendees forge strong human bonds that significantly improve both corporate and personal resilience.
Discover the "view from the trenches" when a local operation is caught between the gargantuan, competing egos of SoftBank executives and Adam Neumann and his successors. Johnny will recount the isolation of the Country Manager role during a global crisis, the resilience required to protect a company from its own leadership, and the critical importance of maintaining integrity before departing on one’s own terms.
Speaker: Johnny Yoo currently brings decades of experience to his new venture,YOO Godo Kaisha (LLC), which he founded in 2025 to provide hands-on financial, organizational, and strategic guidance to Japanese startups, Japanese companies with US partners, and U.S. tech companies entering the Japan market. He was most recently CEO of WWJ Corp (WeWork Japan), where he doubled occupancy and made it one of the most profitable regions globally. Before that, as VP/Corporate Officer of Business Development at SoftBank Corp., he led numerous joint venture and investment agreements, sitting on several boards and launching Japanese subsidiaries for several Vision Fund companies. Johnny began his career in finance, spending 22 years as head of trading or senior trader at major firms like Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, and two hedge funds. With early-stage investment experience, notably for PayPal, he is now an angel investor and advisor for many Japanese startups.
Key Takeaways
Resilience in Isolation: How to maintain strategic clarity and protect local staff when the global HQ and major investors are at war.
The "Elephant" Filter: Tactical maneuvers for navigating the friction between a visionary founder and a massive corporate investor without being crushed by the fallout.
The Integrity of the Exit: Knowing when the mission is fulfilled and how to navigate a high-stakes departure from a deteriorating operational environment with your reputation intact.
Who Should Attend?
This session is essential for Country Managers, Founders, and Senior Executives navigating complex HQ relationships, as well as those interested in corporate governance, crisis management, and the "human cost" of the unicorn era.