The cult of WeWork • Hacker News Board

Re: The cult of WeWork

#11

Post by rchaud » Fri, Sep 07, 2018, 4:26 PM UTC

tonyedgecombe wrote: post #4

I'm not surprised the property industry dislikes WeWork, WeWork's success is a reflection of how poorly that industry serves it's customers.

The "property industry" is doing just fine seeing as how they are the ones selling top-shelf commercial leases in bulk to WeWork.

"Success" for these types of companies is similar to their tedious "we can change the world" mantra in that neither have any basis in reality. They have racked up a $723 million loss and are on the hook for $4b in new spending, and yet they are a 'decacorn'.

They are propped up through investment capital alone. No wonder they have to roll out these absurd claims of expanding into education, daycare and town-building.

Re: The cult of WeWork

#12

Post by scrumper » Fri, Sep 07, 2018, 5:19 PM UTC

I attended a similar industry event in 2006 called HedgeStock[1], for hedge funds and the various remora fish that feed off them. It was a very strange and quite unpleasant experience. Most of the attendees' firms were severely damaged if not destroyed in 2008.

This seems similar.

Pride does seem to come before a fall.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/5059232.stm

Re: The cult of WeWork

#13

Post by to_bpr » Fri, Sep 07, 2018, 5:30 PM UTC

Spivak wrote: post #8

TheSpiceIsLife wrote: post #3

Oh my, are these people going to have a "Well, that was embarrassing" moment later. Then: A big part of being a woman is to help men [like Adam] manifest their calling in life.” Aaaaaaaand nope.

Reminds me of a quote from The Bell Jar which will probably make you just as uncomfortable as Esther. > "What a man is is an arrow into the future and what a woman is is the place the arrow shoots off from." There's no shame in wanting to play a support class but don't pressure others into it.

There's no shame in wanting to differ from the status quo maintained since time immemorial, but don't pressure others into it.

Valid?

Re: The cult of WeWork

#14

Post by tropdrop » Fri, Sep 07, 2018, 6:36 PM UTC

From my own brief membership at WeWork - can confirm about the cult feeling. Every member of the "WeWork [support] Team" had this airhead quality about them that assured one there wasn't calculation (or anything of depth, really) going on under her/his fanatically happy veneer.

I'm happy I read this article, because I thought I was being judgmental in thinking none were too bright.

Re: The cult of WeWork

#15

Post by Spivak » Fri, Sep 07, 2018, 6:58 PM UTC

to_bpr wrote: post #13

Spivak wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Reminds me of a quote from The Bell Jar which will probably make you just as uncomfortable as Esther. > "What a man is is an arrow into the future and what a woman is is the place the arrow shoots off from." There's no shame in wanting to play a support class but don't pressure others into it.

There's no shame in wanting to differ from the status quo maintained since time immemorial, but don't pressure others into it. Valid?

I don't think so, at least not completely. The message should be to treat others as individuals and not impose societal expectations on others.

Don't assume that the default or expected role for a woman is to be supporting and passive. And don't look down on a woman who still wants to assume that role.

Re: The cult of WeWork

#16

Post by rbinv » Fri, Sep 07, 2018, 9:15 PM UTC

np_tedious wrote: post #2

I know a few people at the NYC office and have observed some of this, but I'm not sure if that muchworse than other "startups". My own (far smaller, about $500m / 400 people) employer certainly has a bit of groupthink itself. If the one correcting comment on the article > Pescatarian not Vegan. Wework still have dairy, eggs and fish allowed at their events. is true, I'm not sure how much i can trust the rest of it.

Should have gone pesca-pescatarian.

Re: The cult of WeWork

#17

Post by alexpetralia » Fri, Sep 07, 2018, 9:18 PM UTC

CharlesDodgson wrote: post #10

Am I extremely out of the loop by just thinking that it's a hot desk company that rolls up all the expenses of the office adds 10%-25%, throws in some booze and lunches and says it's changing the world?

Actually yes - this perspective would discount the immense value of brand, design, narrative and belief. And before you think that that stuff is "not real", consider that the reason you do anything is because of some dominant narrative you may or may not have reflected on.

Narratives are what get people build rockets and go to the moon, or build them and go to war instead.

Re: The cult of WeWork

#18

Post by meddlepal » Fri, Sep 07, 2018, 9:19 PM UTC

CharlesDodgson wrote: post #10

Am I extremely out of the loop by just thinking that it's a hot desk company that rolls up all the expenses of the office adds 10%-25%, throws in some booze and lunches and says it's changing the world?

Nope. You're totally in the loop. The employees may be drinking the kool-aid there are definitely some customers drinking it up as well, but I think most people over the age of 23 realize WeWork isn't doing anything groundbreaking.

Re: The cult of WeWork

#19

Post by whitepoplar » Fri, Sep 07, 2018, 9:20 PM UTC

Can anyone recommend a "coworking space" [0] for people who don't like coworking spaces? I like to work on my own independent projects, preferably at a place that isn't my apartment, but I just can't stand WeWork-style coworking spaces, which I find to be a mix of equal parts motivational speech, "networking," pretension, and pretend work. It just seems so fake to me. Am I being closed-minded?

[0]: I live in NYC fwiw.

Re: The cult of WeWork

#20

Post by scythe » Fri, Sep 07, 2018, 9:26 PM UTC

I work at a WeWork office in the East Bay. My impression of WeWork events is that a small minority attends them and a slightly larger minority goes just long enough to swipe some free food (I would never). My main complaints are that the office is noisy and people seem to think it's acceptable to eat lunch in the shared workspace, also the keycards are terrible and usually require 3-4 attempts to open any door. As for a cult-like atmosphere, I haven't noticed anything like that, but then again I don't work for WeWork.

But the bright side about the WeWork office? On any given day, 80% of the desks are empty. I certainly can't complain about that!