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This is really good news for actual real players in the coworking space. Being disruptive with venture money conceivably helps new offerings along, but in this

This is really good news for actual real players in the coworking space. Being disruptive with venture money conceivably helps new offerings along, but in this case it was never anything but a massive fraud that distorted the entire market.

CPLX 3y ago
No it’s not. The only other real player is Regus and they are absolutely f’cking horrible with bad poorly run spaces and predatory billing. They’re a scourge. The WeWork product is fantastic and I’ve tried all alternatives. I’m in a different city basically every week and if they go under or stop being basically the same I’ll seriously mourn the loss.
- Daishiman 3y ago
  Seems like Regus might be closer to the real cost of renting commercial space.
  - CPLX 3y ago
    It’s not the cost they’re both sort of comparable and WeWork isn’t really like the discount option. It’s that WeWork is SO MUCH better run. The keycards work the website works and has current accurate information and so on. Regus/Spaces makes the DMV look like an elite customer service organization. The second time you book on their app and end up at a building under construction you’ll say the same.
    - stuartjohnson12 3y ago
      +10000000 Things that have happened to me at Regus: 1. Asking the floor manager to practice his singing more quietly across the hall (seriously) 2. The rep supposed to be giving the tour forgetting to turn up and calling me several hours later to apologize 3. Someone loudly telepreaching from the next room every day in the style of shouting
paxys 3y ago
There are no real players in the coworking space, and any interest for startups in the field was destroyed by WeWork. So no, this is not good news, just a nail in the coffin for the industry.
- UtopiaPunk 3y ago
  I personally don't visit coworking spaces as I prefer to work from a local coffee shop or go to the library. But why does there need to be a big national chain of coworking spaces? WeWork doesn't care about my mid-size town, but there's an independent co-working space here. You get access to some coffee, a good desk and chair, and Internet. I think they have some spaces for calls or little meetings, too. What does WeWork offer besides, I guess, locations in multiple areas?
  - yowzadave 3y ago
    Smaller coworking spaces ought to develop partnerships with other small spaces in other cities, to allow their customers the same “I can work from any city” perk that WeWork does. Fancy social clubs do this—e.g., if you have a membership at the Alta Club in Salt Lake City, it gets you access to the New York Athletic Club, etc.
  - chrischen 3y ago
    A lot of people who use coworking spaces are small companies or digital nomads. Digital nomads like to travel and have a consistent working environment. As a former coffee-shopper, I can definitely tell you the experience working from there vs a coworking space such as wework is night and day. It might be fine if you manage to find a good coffee shop and consistently abuse their space, but doing that in random new locations is tough.
- iancmceachern 3y ago
  Yes there is, they've been around for decades and are huge: https://www.regus.com/en-us/united-states https://www.regus.com/en-us/united-states There is also codi and several others
- jnwatson 3y ago
didntknowya 3y ago
i dont see any competitor atm that even comes close to wework. and maybe that's because the model isn't sustainable.

CPLX 3y ago

No it’s not. The only other real player is Regus and they are absolutely f’cking horrible with bad poorly run spaces and predatory billing. They’re a scourge. The WeWork product is fantastic and I’ve tried all alternatives. I’m in a different city basically every week and if they go under or stop being basically the same I’ll seriously mourn the loss.

Daishiman 3y ago
Seems like Regus might be closer to the real cost of renting commercial space.
- CPLX 3y ago
  It’s not the cost they’re both sort of comparable and WeWork isn’t really like the discount option. It’s that WeWork is SO MUCH better run. The keycards work the website works and has current accurate information and so on. Regus/Spaces makes the DMV look like an elite customer service organization. The second time you book on their app and end up at a building under construction you’ll say the same.
  - stuartjohnson12 3y ago
    +10000000 Things that have happened to me at Regus: 1. Asking the floor manager to practice his singing more quietly across the hall (seriously) 2. The rep supposed to be giving the tour forgetting to turn up and calling me several hours later to apologize 3. Someone loudly telepreaching from the next room every day in the style of shouting

paxys 3y ago

There are no real players in the coworking space, and any interest for startups in the field was destroyed by WeWork. So no, this is not good news, just a nail in the coffin for the industry.

UtopiaPunk 3y ago
I personally don't visit coworking spaces as I prefer to work from a local coffee shop or go to the library. But why does there need to be a big national chain of coworking spaces? WeWork doesn't care about my mid-size town, but there's an independent co-working space here. You get access to some coffee, a good desk and chair, and Internet. I think they have some spaces for calls or little meetings, too. What does WeWork offer besides, I guess, locations in multiple areas?
- yowzadave 3y ago
  Smaller coworking spaces ought to develop partnerships with other small spaces in other cities, to allow their customers the same “I can work from any city” perk that WeWork does. Fancy social clubs do this—e.g., if you have a membership at the Alta Club in Salt Lake City, it gets you access to the New York Athletic Club, etc.
- chrischen 3y ago
  A lot of people who use coworking spaces are small companies or digital nomads. Digital nomads like to travel and have a consistent working environment. As a former coffee-shopper, I can definitely tell you the experience working from there vs a coworking space such as wework is night and day. It might be fine if you manage to find a good coffee shop and consistently abuse their space, but doing that in random new locations is tough.
iancmceachern 3y ago
Yes there is, they've been around for decades and are huge: https://www.regus.com/en-us/united-states https://www.regus.com/en-us/united-states There is also codi and several others
jnwatson 3y ago

didntknowya 3y ago

i dont see any competitor atm that even comes close to wework. and maybe that's because the model isn't sustainable.