I've had an office/desk at WeWork in NYC since 2014 (although I almost never use it any more). It's been interesting to see WeWork's evolution through the years.

At the beginning, there was a lot of emphasis on community building, almost acting like a fake incubator with "WeWork Labs" (which has since shut down). The same pattern would repeat itself: new ambitious founder moves in (typically ex-Deloitte-type-person), would talk a strong game about how they're changing the world and reinventing and revolutionizing. Would have loud meetings in the conference rooms and loud fundraising calls in the phone booths that everyone would overhear and supposedly be envious of how much funding they are about to get. They would always be asking around about 'connecting' them to people who can build this app idea that they have, and how much it costs to build an app. Then, 6 months later, you would look at their desks. Empty. They were gone. We would never hear from them or see them again. I have seen this cycle repeat countless times. Starting around 2016, WeWork shifted its its efforts towards leasing to larger businesses instead of small startups or individuals. For example, last month my friend was given notice that they need to move because because a new company is renting the entire "dedicated desk" area (about 80 desks).

I found it to be a very bad environment for a coder to be in. The offices are all right next to each other and the only thing separating them is a single pane of glass. Typically, 80% of the offices are occupied by loud sales-type people, who are yelling on the phone to their "overseas developers". Even if you're wearing headphones, it's pretty annoying. Especially when their conversations reveal how terrible their products and businesses are. When everyone is working at the same company, open-office-style environments are easier, because there's a level of respect among coworkers. But when you're surrounded by other companies, it's very hard to enforce.

So, bottom line, if you're there to meet interesting people or be surrounded by quality companies, you will be disappointed. And if you're there to code in a quiet environment, better to stay at home.

It's easy to hate on WeWork. But WeWork offers a few things that are very hard to match. First, design. You get an office space and environment (furniture, rooms, common spaces, food, snacks, coffee) that feels like you're working at a large fun tech office, which would be impossible to replicate if you just leased a commercial space on your own. Second, consistency. I can go to any WeWork in the world and I know exactly what it's going to be like — what the conference rooms will look like, how to book a day desk, how to print, etc. I know that it's going to be a good environment to have a client meeting or to do work, and I won't be let down. Third, flexibility. Most leases are month to month, and so it's very easy to move to different neighborhoods and offices (I've switched buildings 3 times). Good design, consistency and flexibility should not be discounted. I know I can rely on WeWork wherever I go. And so that's why I've still kept an office there as a pied-a-terre even though I almost never use it anymore