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> They provided something no one else did. Is that true? Perhaps Wework did / does some unique things I'm unaware of. As per [0] - co-working spaces started
by Jedd 3y ago
> They provided something no one else did.
Is that true? Perhaps Wework did / does some unique things I'm unaware of.
As per [0] - co-working spaces started ~25 years ago, and by the time WeWork was founded (2010) there were at least 300 co-working spaces operating in the USA.
[0] https://helio.se/en/magazine/the-colorful-history-of-coworking-from-the-90s-until-today https://helio.se/en/magazine/the-colorful-history-of-coworki...
- michaelt 3y agoI've never been to a WeWork but traditional co-working spaces were kinda grim. They'd often provide pretty bare-bones service - no fancy coffee, just a fridge where everyone had to label their own milk. They'd have mostly small/single-person offices which people worked in alone with the door closed. I've heard some people find a 'community' at wework offices, a bunch of closed doors of course provides no such thing. And they mostly rented space to permanently small businesses, like one-person accountancy companies. Which is a fine way to make a living! But co-working spaces weren't a place you'd expect to network with people whose businesses were going to the moon.
- carrja99 3y agoI actually preferred all the independent co-working spaces before wework. They had their own unique character while wework was always a filing cabinet for office workers with no special character to them.
- nikanj 3y agoThey rewrapped an existing concept in a startup-esque vibe and thus got a massive multiplier on their valuation.