WeWork Part 2: The Bar Is Now at Your Desk

06/25/20 • 31 min

3 Listeners

WeWork sold office space, but also it sold something else: fun. Beer flowed freely, members partied at the office, and your work was your life. But getting these offices off the ground was utter chaos, especially for the burgeoning company’s young, inexperienced workers. In this episode, reporter Ellen Huet takes a look at WeWork’s early days, when the company was growing so fast that some buildings opened without doors or functioning bathrooms.

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Previous Episode

WeWork Part 1: Capitalist Kibbutz

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The WeWork Story, Part 1:

When Adam Neumann dreamed up WeWork, he took inspiration from part of his childhood: his years on a kibbutz in Israel. On stage when discussing WeWork, he waxed poetic about the spirit of community he had found there, and how WeWork was similar, but different -- a “kibbutz 2.0.” So reporter Ellen Huet wanted to find out: Was the kibbutz anything like a WeWork? And how did it shape what Adam later built?

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Next Episode

WeWork Part 3: Is Naked Pete Coming to Summer Camp?

To its thousands of employees, WeWork was much more than a job. Founder Adam Neumann leveraged his employees’ emotions to motivate them. In exclusive tapes obtained by Bloomberg, Adam lectured employees that working at WeWork was special: “You do not get a chance like this again.”

In this episode, a former employee describes the tumultuous experience of working inside WeWork’s headquarters, from their raucous parties to the late night meetings.

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Foundering - WeWork Part 2: The Bar Is Now at Your Desk

Transcript Summary

In this episode titled "WeWork Part 2: The Bar Is Now at Your Desk," the podcast delves into the intriguing world of WeWork and the challenges it faced during its rapid expansion. The episode begins with Carl Pierre's excitement about working with beer at WeWork, highlighting the company's renowned beer culture and strong brand identity. Despite its initial success, the story takes a turn when a beer disaster occurs, resulting in chaos and an immense mess. As WeWork expands from 9 to 34 buildings in a short period, internal struggles arise, including building issues and employee burnout. Community managers face multiple challenges, ranging from dealing with customer complaints to cleaning up party leftovers and confronting pests. The episode suggests a disconnect between the positive media coverage WeWork received and the realities experienced by employees, hinting at underlying issues within the company. If you're fascinated by a story involving unprecedented growth, unmet expectations, and the clash between company image and internal struggles, this episode is a must-listen.

Transcript

Speaker 100:00:00.119

Let me introduce you to a guy named Carl Pierre. Carl was twenty five years old when he became an employee at the we Work office in d C. He was just a few years out of college. He was excited about joining this fast growing startup, and he was surprised by how much of his job involved working with beer, tapping a beer keg, getting licenses to serve beer. And one morning he got a call there had been a beer disaster. This one dude, who turns out wa

WeWork Part 2: The Bar Is Now at Your Desk Top Questions Answered

How was WeWork founded and what was the work culture like?

WeWork was founded during the rise of remote work. It offered flexible office space and had a reputation for a heavy drinking culture, parties, and employee stress.

How did WeWork's physical growth progress over the years?

WeWork experienced rapid physical growth, adding new markets and doubling/tripling their number of buildings year by year.

What problems did WeWork face in terms of operational issues?

WeWork faced operational problems such as opening buildings without functioning bathrooms or coffee machines, non-compliant doors, and installations, causing inconveniences and security concerns for customers.

How did WeWork try to address customer complaints and issues?

WeWork offered compensation in the form of free brunch, happy hours, or rent discounts to appease unhappy customers.

What challenges did WeWork community managers face in their roles?

WeWork community managers dealt with long hours, customer complaints, and various issues arising within the coworking spaces.

What unusual items or messes were found in WeWork offices?

WeWork offices had instances of party leftovers, including used condoms and vomit in unexpected places, reflecting the company's culture.

How did employee dissatisfaction impact WeWork's reputation?

Despite employee unhappiness, WeWork's positive media image raised suspicions about the true state of the company.

What led to the exposure of a different narrative about WeWork's leadership?

An employee leaked tapes of Adam Neumann, the founder of WeWork, which revealed a different narrative from what was publicly portrayed.

How was WeWork valued and perceived in the startup scene?

WeWork was valued at $10 billion and seen as a rising startup, reflecting the popularity of flexible office space during the remote work era.

How did employees cope with stress and chaos at WeWork?

Employees at WeWork often cried at work due to stress and chaos, and a suggestion was made to find a private office or take a walk to cope with the situation.

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