7 ms·

Can you blame people? Who doesn't want to be the next Bill Gates or Elon Musk? The recipe is to grow exponentially and dominate the market, then to do fun worl

Can you blame people? Who doesn't want to be the next Bill Gates or Elon Musk? The recipe is to grow exponentially and dominate the market, then to do fun world-changing ventures.

madamelic 9y ago
>Who doesn't want to be the next Bill Gates or Elon Musk? Microsoft made killer software and that was basically it for the first like 15 years of their company. If a company can last 15 years and be a behemoth, by all means, start venturing for new green fields... but WeWork becoming an owner of a Kindergarten... what? Elon Musk is a person, not a company. And all of his companies tie into a core vision (Advance humanity). WeWork is just starting a school because it... uh... involves a building? I can excuse WeLive because hey, that's a great idea and actually dovetails with WeWork nicely.
- seanmcdirmid 9y ago
  I would love for a space that allowed me to work while providing daycare nearby for my kid. But I’m very niche, for sure.
rhizome 9y ago
Unlike Gates and Musk, WeWork is inextricably dependent on the VC industry, which provides the money that unprofitable companies pay WeWork in rent.
- hobofan 9y ago
  That's not the picture I got from the WeWork spaces in Berlin. A significant portion of the companies there (probably enough for break-even) are profitable. Small floating offices from big tech companies, consulting firms, or startups in profitable niches.
ambrosite 9y ago
But not everyone is capable of being Elon Musk, or should even want to be like him, if they really understood what it takes to be him. Here is one of the most insightful posts I have ever read on the subject, coming from someone who should know -- his first wife: https://www.quora.com/How-can-I-be-as-great-as-Bill-Gates-Steve-Jobs-Elon-Musk-or-Sir-Richard-Branson/answer/Justine-Musk?share=08df440f&srid=wX1D https://www.quora.com/How-can-I-be-as-great-as-Bill-Gates-St...
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]

Can you blame people? Who doesn't want to be the next Bill Gates or Elon Musk? The recipe is to grow exponentially and dominate the market, then to do fun world-changing ventures.

madamelic 9y ago

>Who doesn't want to be the next Bill Gates or Elon Musk? Microsoft made killer software and that was basically it for the first like 15 years of their company. If a company can last 15 years and be a behemoth, by all means, start venturing for new green fields... but WeWork becoming an owner of a Kindergarten... what? Elon Musk is a person, not a company. And all of his companies tie into a core vision (Advance humanity). WeWork is just starting a school because it... uh... involves a building? I can excuse WeLive because hey, that's a great idea and actually dovetails with WeWork nicely.

seanmcdirmid 9y ago
I would love for a space that allowed me to work while providing daycare nearby for my kid. But I’m very niche, for sure.

rhizome 9y ago

Unlike Gates and Musk, WeWork is inextricably dependent on the VC industry, which provides the money that unprofitable companies pay WeWork in rent.

hobofan 9y ago
That's not the picture I got from the WeWork spaces in Berlin. A significant portion of the companies there (probably enough for break-even) are profitable. Small floating offices from big tech companies, consulting firms, or startups in profitable niches.

ambrosite 9y ago

But not everyone is capable of being Elon Musk, or should even want to be like him, if they really understood what it takes to be him. Here is one of the most insightful posts I have ever read on the subject, coming from someone who should know -- his first wife: https://www.quora.com/How-can-I-be-as-great-as-Bill-Gates-Steve-Jobs-Elon-Musk-or-Sir-Richard-Branson/answer/Justine-Musk?share=08df440f&srid=wX1D https://www.quora.com/How-can-I-be-as-great-as-Bill-Gates-St...

deleted 9y ago
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