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WW isn't just renting office space; they're selling a dream that YOU, yes YOU, are the next Mark Zuckerberg. They're a byproduct of the extreme fetishization of

WW isn't just renting office space; they're selling a dream that YOU, yes YOU, are the next Mark Zuckerberg. They're a byproduct of the extreme fetishization of entrepreneurship that has happened over the past decade. And the effect? Just about every WeWork I've ever been in is exactly the same: full of wantrepreneurs with extreme delusions of grandeur. Only problem is that the talent, work ethic, and product vision don't match. Walk through one at 7:30, 8:00p, the same hours that you'd expect a hungry founder to be grinding it out and it's dead empty. Maybe it's because the free cucumber water is gone. Or, to put it another, perhaps more callous way: WeWork is what happens when everyone listens to Gary Vaynerchuk. And all the while WeWork trades at an absurd multiple over just about every other realty holding company.

ascorbic 9y ago
Is that specific to WeWork, or is that just a characteristic of early-stage startups in general, and WW just happens to be somewhere you can find a lot in one space without the filter of having had investment?
- exogeny 9y ago
  Some of both. The cultural aspects of it are certainly not specific to WeWork. (See also: "Shark Tank", pay-to-pitch conferences, etc.) They do however leverage that fetishization to a really impressive degree; everything there is specifically designed to make you feel like you're on the first step to the fantastic Internet riches you've deserved all your life.
  - irfanka 9y ago
    > everything there is specifically designed to make you feel like you're on the first step to the fantastic Internet riches you've deserved all your life. Interesting... how so? (I've never been to such a place)
aviv 9y ago
Haha, yep, you are spot on.
NetOpWibby 9y ago
I used to work in a WW and you’re absolutely correct. Also, that water is gross, I don’t see how people drink it.
benjaminwootton 9y ago
Quite a cynical world view. Its awesome that more people are even dreaming of changing the world, starting businesses and have a support infrastructure and culture to do it. Would you rather we aspired to cube farms instead?
- exogeny 9y ago
  I agree! But that doesn't make it factually untrue that WeWork disingenuously leverages those dreams to feed its growth. There's a reason why Simon Cowell was as compelling as he was: he was the only one who was actually honest with people when he told them that they were wasting their time pursuing their dreams of stardom. Everyone I've ever met associated with WeWork, comparably speaking, is Paula Abdul. It's unsustainable - because a lot of the companies that are there, frankly, are losers and will churn out quickly - and they need to constantly refill the supply at the bottom of that pyramid. That supply is not infinite, and most certainly not at the rate they're expanding. And again, the ultimate salient point here is that they've got orders of magnitude less property under management and yet they're trading at higher multiples than just about every other realty holding company. It's bubblicious, bro. All the feel-good bullshit about wanting to disrupt the world doesn't change that.
- williamscales 9y ago
  I would rather folks be realistic with themselves about what kind of work they will need to put in to accomplish those dreams instead of wasting resources that could be allocated elsewhere. What strikes me as cynical is creating a culture that attracts daydreamers with little chance of success and then turning around and selling investors on something else.
- ganeshkrishnan 9y ago
  Funded startups can afford wework. We run our start-up from free Co working spaces and public libraries. Every dollar saved goes to customer acquisition and $500 is a luxury
rimliu 9y ago
> Walk through one at 7:30, 8:00p, the same hours that you'd > expect a hungry founder to be grinding it out Can we stop with this another fetishisation of unhealthy work habits? How about wise founder realising that having a good rest and a healthy work-life balance makes them more productive?
- exogeny 9y ago
  This is a fair point and I'm glad you brought it up. I'm using it as a proxy to refer to the general work ethic needed to get a company off the ground - which I've rarely seen in any WeWork office - but your point stands.
  - danpalmer 9y ago
    Perhaps a better proxy would be the amount of time people spend in the significant social spaces in WeWork rather than at their desk working?
- williamscales 9y ago
  Well, looking at it another way, there's probably a distribution of times of day when people start working, including as late as 10:00 or 11:00 am. So, assuming that this anecdotal experience is representative (and it might well not be), it is surprising that no-one is in the office at 7:30 or 8:00 pm. Either the entrainment effect of the culture is so strong that everyone comes in at 8:00 in the morning, or folks are coming in late and leaving early.
coupdejarnac 9y ago
It is quite a downer to walk around a coworking space at 6 or 7pm and find it totally empty. Whenever I did coworking, I was often the last one to leave at night.
danenania 9y ago
That's kind of funny--I belonged to a WeWork in Queens for about six months and my favorite time to work there was 5-10pm because I'd usually have the place almost to myself. Overall I found it a decent place to work. It was definitely better than working from home all the time. The wantrepreneur vibe was indeed pretty strong and socially it was kind of cliquey and too-cool-for-you. The space and location were good though. For me as a solo founder/coder it served its purpose and felt worth the price in spite of there being plenty of room for improvement.
deleted 9y ago
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ascorbic 9y ago

Is that specific to WeWork, or is that just a characteristic of early-stage startups in general, and WW just happens to be somewhere you can find a lot in one space without the filter of having had investment?

exogeny 9y ago
Some of both. The cultural aspects of it are certainly not specific to WeWork. (See also: "Shark Tank", pay-to-pitch conferences, etc.) They do however leverage that fetishization to a really impressive degree; everything there is specifically designed to make you feel like you're on the first step to the fantastic Internet riches you've deserved all your life.
- irfanka 9y ago
  > everything there is specifically designed to make you feel like you're on the first step to the fantastic Internet riches you've deserved all your life. Interesting... how so? (I've never been to such a place)

aviv 9y ago

Haha, yep, you are spot on.

NetOpWibby 9y ago

I used to work in a WW and you’re absolutely correct. Also, that water is gross, I don’t see how people drink it.

benjaminwootton 9y ago

Quite a cynical world view. Its awesome that more people are even dreaming of changing the world, starting businesses and have a support infrastructure and culture to do it. Would you rather we aspired to cube farms instead?

exogeny 9y ago
I agree! But that doesn't make it factually untrue that WeWork disingenuously leverages those dreams to feed its growth. There's a reason why Simon Cowell was as compelling as he was: he was the only one who was actually honest with people when he told them that they were wasting their time pursuing their dreams of stardom. Everyone I've ever met associated with WeWork, comparably speaking, is Paula Abdul. It's unsustainable - because a lot of the companies that are there, frankly, are losers and will churn out quickly - and they need to constantly refill the supply at the bottom of that pyramid. That supply is not infinite, and most certainly not at the rate they're expanding. And again, the ultimate salient point here is that they've got orders of magnitude less property under management and yet they're trading at higher multiples than just about every other realty holding company. It's bubblicious, bro. All the feel-good bullshit about wanting to disrupt the world doesn't change that.
williamscales 9y ago
I would rather folks be realistic with themselves about what kind of work they will need to put in to accomplish those dreams instead of wasting resources that could be allocated elsewhere. What strikes me as cynical is creating a culture that attracts daydreamers with little chance of success and then turning around and selling investors on something else.
ganeshkrishnan 9y ago
Funded startups can afford wework. We run our start-up from free Co working spaces and public libraries. Every dollar saved goes to customer acquisition and $500 is a luxury

rimliu 9y ago

> Walk through one at 7:30, 8:00p, the same hours that you'd > expect a hungry founder to be grinding it out Can we stop with this another fetishisation of unhealthy work habits? How about wise founder realising that having a good rest and a healthy work-life balance makes them more productive?

exogeny 9y ago
This is a fair point and I'm glad you brought it up. I'm using it as a proxy to refer to the general work ethic needed to get a company off the ground - which I've rarely seen in any WeWork office - but your point stands.
- danpalmer 9y ago
  Perhaps a better proxy would be the amount of time people spend in the significant social spaces in WeWork rather than at their desk working?
williamscales 9y ago
Well, looking at it another way, there's probably a distribution of times of day when people start working, including as late as 10:00 or 11:00 am. So, assuming that this anecdotal experience is representative (and it might well not be), it is surprising that no-one is in the office at 7:30 or 8:00 pm. Either the entrainment effect of the culture is so strong that everyone comes in at 8:00 in the morning, or folks are coming in late and leaving early.

coupdejarnac 9y ago

It is quite a downer to walk around a coworking space at 6 or 7pm and find it totally empty. Whenever I did coworking, I was often the last one to leave at night.

danenania 9y ago

That's kind of funny--I belonged to a WeWork in Queens for about six months and my favorite time to work there was 5-10pm because I'd usually have the place almost to myself. Overall I found it a decent place to work. It was definitely better than working from home all the time. The wantrepreneur vibe was indeed pretty strong and socially it was kind of cliquey and too-cool-for-you. The space and location were good though. For me as a solo founder/coder it served its purpose and felt worth the price in spite of there being plenty of room for improvement.

deleted 9y ago

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