NewsBite

WeWork Saga

October

From left: Sam Altman, Adam Neumann, Cathie Wood and Masayoshi Son.

Why OpenAI’s $228b deal has a bubble-like feel

The ChatGPT creator’s record-breaking fundraising deal reunites a cast of investors who helped to spark the tech bubble of 2019 to 2022. Have the lessons been learnt?

  • James Thomson

September

A WeWork hub in Sydney.

Auditors warn WeWork hubs face ‘uncertainty’

Even though the co-working giant’s US parent has emerged from bankruptcy with considerably less debt, its local loss-making operation faces “significant doubt”, its auditors say.

  • Nick Lenaghan

June

WeWork has emerged from bankruptcy. What’s next?

The company’s re-emergence from bankruptcy arrives at a time when demand for office space remains weak overall.

  • Wyatte Grantham-Philips

May

WeWork’s no-drama new owner pitches turnaround

Low-profile software tycoon Anant Yardi sees “tremendous opportunity” in the co-working business after a turbulent bankruptcy.

  • Amelia Pollard and Sujeet Indap

Co-working is moving to the suburbs

With hybrid work the new norm, the industry is betting on sedate suburban and small-town locations where employees of big companies go to escape their homes. 

  • Justin Fox
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April

Co-founded by Adam Neumann and  Miguel McKelvey in 2010, WeWork had a meteoric rise before a stunning fall.

WeWork cuts new restructuring deal that spurns Adam Neumann

If approved, a restructuring deal will allow the fallen co-working giant exit bankruptcy with less debt and a leaner, less expensive lease portfolio.

  • Jonathan Randles and Steven Church

WeWork predicts $12b in rent savings after bankruptcy ends

The co-working company’s plan to reduce its real estate comes as it separately fields an offer by Adam Neumann to buy back the company he co-founded.

  • Steven Church and Natalie Wong
Co-founded by Neumann and  Miguel McKelvey in 2010, WeWork had a meteoric rise before a stunning fall.

Adam Neumann and partners offer more than $766m for WeWork

The bid adds another dramatic chapter to the saga of the co-working firm and its charismatic founder, the subject of books, podcasts, a television series and a movie.

  • Hannah Miller and Crystal Tse

February

WeWork founder Adam Neumann.

Adam Neumann, Dan Loeb’s Third Point plot bid for WeWork

The entrepreneur says he is partnering with the hedge fund for the entire company or its assets, according to a letter sent to WeWork’s lawyers.

  • Updated
  • Ortenca Aliaj and Eric Platt

January

The cocktail bar inside Hub Australia’s new flagship flex office at 44 Martin Place, Sydney.

Hub operators step up for 2024 after WeWork buckles

Hub Australia is going big with its CBD offerings to compete with major landlords such as Dexus, while others are focusing on the suburbs for safer returns.

  • Campbell Kwan

December 2023

Workspace company BE Offices collapses in pandemic aftermath

The London-based office provider entered an administration application, the latest flexible workspace business to fold.

  • Sabah Meddings, Lucca de Paoli and Jack Sidders

November 2023

Walking a fine line: WeWork has to push its need for discounts and concessions as it restructures, while not driving away landlords.

WeWork landlords push back as rent talks heat up

The embattled coworking company must argue its need for rent cuts and other concessions but not push so aggressively that landlords walk away.

  • Eliza Ronalds-Hannon, Amelia Pollard and Reshmi Basu
Falling in value: The One Poultry building housing a WeWork co-working space in London.

Loan to London building that WeWork rents is for sale at discount

The sale of the loan exposes the fault lines created by soaring interest rates, the steep costs of renovating older buildings and WeWork’s bankruptcy.

  • Irene García Pérez, Lucca de Paoli and Libby Cherry

What WeWork’s failure tells us about beanbags in offices

The pandemic burst the illusion that people want to live at work and most companies now have a hybrid work policy, with employees coming to the office far less.

  • Pravina Rudra
A WeWork co-working office space in San Francisco.

WeWork’s implosion: What now for flexible working?

As the office space group navigates Chapter 11 protection, rivals must also face down threats from tech and hybrid working.

  • Joshua Oliver
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WeWork’s bankruptcy filing paves the way to cancel US leases that have little chance of profitability.

WeWork might just work now it has a new chance to succeed

A good idea was saddled with tens of billions of dollars in lease liabilities. But after the firm declared bankruptcy, it may rise from the ashes. Here’s why.

  • Chris Bryant
WeWork was for a time a darling of Wall Street and Silicon Valley.

WeWork’s bankruptcy caps swift downfall for $US47 billion standout

From behemoth to bankruptcy, it’s been a wild ride for a start-up sometimes battered by forces outside its control – lockdowns and a slow return to offices. 

  • Amelia Pollard, Ellen Huet and Ethan M Steinberg
SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son.

WeWork saga cost Son $18b – and his credibility

The fall of WeWork has shattered the Japanese billionaire’s standing as a shrewd investor with a legendary VC record.

  • Min Jeong Lee
WeWork has pledged to keep its local hubs open, while reducing its space at some facilities.

WeWork pledges to keep doors open at local hubs, but cut space

WeWork’s US bankruptcy filing is the latest move in its efforts to stay afloat as it juggles heavy debt and rental obligations with weakening demand for office space.

  • Nick Lenaghan
A WeWork co-working office space in San Francisco.

WeWork to enter Chapter 11 bankruptcy as soon as next week

The co-working company will seek court protection in New Jersey while it works out a plan to repay its debts, and perhaps abandon some leases.

  • Reshmi Basu and Amelia Pollard

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/wework-saga-1nar