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The cult of WeWork

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Re: The cult of WeWork

#41

Post by rleigh »

steveeq1 wrote: post #28
scythe wrote: post #20

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 f…

I don't get it, what's wrong with eating in a shared workspace? I don't work in one, but it seems like a "normal" thing to do.

It's beyond antisocial. Being forced to smell and see food, and watch people eat can be disgusting. Some food is obviously worse than others. Deliberately inflicting it on an entire office is not-so-subtly telling everyone else that their eating at their desk, rather than use any provided kitchen or dining facilities, is more important to them than their consideration of every other person in the place.

It might be "normal" in some places, but those are places I would find detestable. It only takes one person to make the rest of an open plan office feel nauseous.

If a person can't find 30 or even 15 minutes to leave their desk to eat their lunch, then there's something seriously wrong with their work culture. It's not like they are going to be actually "working" while stuffing food into their faces. They should take the time to switch off for a few minutes for their own physical and mental health, and the consideration of others.

Re: The cult of WeWork

#42

Post by goeric »

spinachcat wrote: post #37
jdavis703 wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It also forgets the other services it handles for you, for example someone staffs a mailroom, others clean the bathrooms and yet others keep water and coffee ready. They also provide security systems (cameras, keyfobs, etc). All of these are things a new business would have to build out and maintain in their own office.

Negative. When you rent a suite in an office building, the building management provides janitorial services, security guards, access cards and a mailbox (a small business has no use for a staffed mailroom). You do have to brew your own coffee, though.

Not always. Our startup's rented suite in DTLA did not have janitorial services provided for (only common building areas) and no security guard. Access cards? It was a metal key.

Re: The cult of WeWork

#43

Post by smsm42 »

alexpetralia wrote: post #17
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.

These things are definitely real. But while building a brand that elicits cult-like behavior from its followers is undoubtedly a huge marketing success, of which all other marketers should be justifiably envious, is it "changing the world"? The would has seen such efforts - both successful and not - since the first state and the first religion has been founded.

> Narratives are what get people build rockets

But is WeWork building rockets to go to the moon? Last noticeable thing I remember them doing is banning their workers from eating meat. Beyond that - yep, they rent out offices. So?

Re: The cult of WeWork

#44

Post by hcknwscommenter »

Soundest wrote: post #35
alexpetralia wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Whilst that's true, narratives at some point do have to meet reality. If rental prices drop by 10%, it doesn't matter what you believe, WeWork will be underwater.

Wework is underwater. Have you seen their bond offerings? They will default.

Re: The cult of WeWork

#45

Post by jdavis703 »

spinachcat wrote: post #37
jdavis703 wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It also forgets the other services it handles for you, for example someone staffs a mailroom, others clean the bathrooms and yet others keep water and coffee ready. They also provide security systems (cameras, keyfobs, etc). All of these are things a new business would have to build out and maintain in their own office.

Negative. When you rent a suite in an office building, the building management provides janitorial services, security guards, access cards and a mailbox (a small business has no use for a staffed mailroom). You do have to brew your own coffee, though.

It really depends. If you're talking about a WeWork competitor like Regus then you're right. However I've worked at startups that have rented many different kinds of offices (from Regus and WeWork, to industrial lofts, to retail storefronts). Many of these places were not "batteries included."

Re: The cult of WeWork

#46

Post by sctb »

sonnyblarney wrote: post #26

I lose so much respect for people like this. I don't want to offend Americans, but this is mostly an American thing and it's not just corporate: it's politics, religion, NGOs, entertainment, news - everywhere. (America literally invents it's own religions!) The scariest part is when you meet true believers, those not just 'playing the game' but are really on the koolaid. I believe this is because in America, people d…

Handwave-y nationalistic generalizations rarely lead to thoughtful discussion so we'd appreciate it if you would please not post them.

Re: The cult of WeWork

#47

Post by itronitron »

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.

a big part of being a cult member is to help the cult leader manifest their calling in life

Re: The cult of WeWork

#48

Post by jstandard »

sonnyblarney wrote: post #26

I lose so much respect for people like this. I don't want to offend Americans, but this is mostly an American thing and it's not just corporate: it's politics, religion, NGOs, entertainment, news - everywhere. (America literally invents it's own religions!) The scariest part is when you meet true believers, those not just 'playing the game' but are really on the koolaid. I believe this is because in America, people d…

I think this is a "humans" thing. Japan and other countries have their own share of cults and group-think. Every culture has people who, for whatever reason, don't feel like they fit in. There will always be others who rise to take advantage of that.

Without having been to the WeWork event, it's hard to cut around the article author's biased take. They chose a certain writing angle. The event from another perspective may be that of a fun, tongue-in-cheek festival where people cut loose for a bit. The author might also have been the only rational one there who hadn't yet drunk the koolaid.

Re: The cult of WeWork

#49

Post by jpindar »

rleigh wrote: post #41
steveeq1 wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't get it, what's wrong with eating in a shared workspace? I don't work in one, but it seems like a "normal" thing to do.

It's beyond antisocial. Being forced to smell and see food, and watch people eat can be disgusting. Some food is obviously worse than others. Deliberately inflicting it on an entire office is not-so-subtly telling everyone else that their eating at their desk, rather than use any provided kitchen or dining facilities, is more important to them than their consideration of every other person in the place. It might be "…

You'd get more sympathy without the "its for their own good" part.

Re: The cult of WeWork

#50

Post by rland »

This reminded me of another article I read about this company: https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-04-27/wework-ac... Their value is predicated entirely on the perception. Select quote from the CEO:

>"WeWork isn’t really a real estate company. It’s a state of consciousness, he argues, a generation of interconnected emotionally intelligent entrepreneurs."

Riiiiiiight.

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