Dror Poleg's Newsletter Archive
Apple, Landlords, and the Revolt Against Monopolies
Apple generates more profit from the App Store than all of Manhattan's landlords generate from rent. It also offers some important lessons about why some tenants will stop paying. Why should anyone pay rent? We already know [https://www.drorpoleg.com/blog/future-of-work-hold-your-horses/] technology makes people less dependent
Is Density Destiny?
Transportation and communication go hand in hand. Until the 19th Century, the speed of delivering a message was equal to the time it took a man (or woman) to carry that message on foot, on horse, or by boat. Innovations in transportation and communication often enabled and reinforced one another,
Did Cities Fail Us?
It was an ugly week. Let's start with some poetry: > “I was leaving the South to fling myself into the unknown . . . I was taking a part of the South to transplant in alien soil, to see if it could grow differently, if it could drink of new
2020: Tech's Impact on Real Estate
A presentation from Dror Poleg, author of Rethinking Real Estate. This is a recording from a virtual event at a large investment bank, June 4th, 2020.
Future of Work? Hold Your Horses
Forget about getting things done. Most work can be done elsewhere. An office is necessary because it allows people to socialize and learn. Over the past few weeks, I've heard a variation of the above from many landlords and consultants. It's a compelling argument. But it
Landlords are Zucked
Facebook is one of the largest companies in the world. It employs 45,000 people. Yesterday, CEO Mark Zuckerberg shared his views [https://www.facebook.com/zuck/posts/10111936543502931] on the company's future: > Over the next 5-10 years, I think we could have 50% of our people
NBC: The Office of the Future
“Rethinking Real Estate, a book that even before the pandemic was projecting big changes in how offices will be used in the future. He says landlords will now need to convince companies there’s a need for those desks and boardrooms we’ve taken for granted”. A quick interview with
Outsourcing Cities, Coffee Offices, Reviving WeWork, and Shorting Campuses
1. An Office is not a Coffeeshop. On Wednesday, Antony Slumbers and I joined The Real Deal's Hiten Samtani to discuss [https://therealdeal.com/2020/05/14/office-landlords-dont-eat-before-watching-this/] the future of offices. Hiten brought up a suggestion made by Steven Roth, the Chairman of one of the world&
Google Goes, Airbnb Cuts, WeWork Fights, and Common Grows
I hope you and your family are well. We are still waiting for spring to officially begin here in New York. April was cold and wet. May is a mixed bag so far, with a couple of beautiful days, but a lot of clouds and strong winds. Whatever happens with
Home Alone: What's Next for Airbnb?
"We are pausing our efforts in Transportation and Airbnb Studios, and we have to scale back our investments in Hotels and Lux[ury Properties]", says [https://news.airbnb.com/a-message-from-co-founder-and-ceo-brian-chesky/] Airbnb's CEO Brian Chesky. Airbnb is responding to Covid-19 by going back to its roots. This
Study from home, live on campus.
Forty-five million Americans owe more than $1.6 trillion in student debt. Such debt contributes to low home-ownership among those under 40. The cost of going to college in the U.S. has increased by more than 25% over the past decade, growing several times faster than real incomes. This
Future of Work: Don't ask where, ask how.
Many middle managers and landlords are saying (and hoping) that working at home is not productive. Most of them are missing the point. Companies in cities like New York, San Francisco, and London are spending about $15,000 is a year to keep an employee at a desk. Bosses should
Are you ready for Post-Pandemic Posturing?
Parts of the world are easing their lockdown, and corporations are trying to figure out how to get people to come out and spend.
Clean Malls, Spacious WeWorks,Empty Schools, and Unsustainable Cities
1. Are you ready for Post-Pandemic Posturing? Parts of the world are easing their lockdown, and corporations are trying to figure out how to get people to come out and spend. Simon Property Group, one of the world's largest owners of retail space, is reopening [https://www.cnbc.
Forty in Quarantine
Today is Israel’s 72nd Independence Day. It is also my 40th birthday. I am celebrating it in New York, where I now live with my wife and daughter. My parents planned to name me Arbel, the name of a mountain overlooking the Sea of Galilee. But since I was
Unbundling Cities, Extending Airbnb, Disrupting Kitchens, and Building Startups
This week's newsletter looks at the Great Covid Survey, Unbundling the City, Cleaning up Airbnb, The future of CloudKitchens, Blue Ocean Strategy, Urban Employment, the Future of Cities, and Venture Capital's shift from pure software to hard assets.
Healthy Travel, Virtual Friends, Empty Offices, and Zoom Goats
I hope you and your family are well. We just concluded Passover 2020, in exile in the suburbs, waiting for Pharaoh to let us go back to Brooklyn. The thing is, we're not sure we want to go home. We're enjoying the time away from the
Amazon Masks, Airbnb Bailouts, Autonomous Virus, Moon Walls, and Google Errors
Below are the eight most interesting things I've seen this week, at the intersection of the physical and digital worlds. 1. I'm from Amazon and I'm here to help. The Canadian Government signed [https://finance.yahoo.com/news/canada-signs-deal-with-amazon-to-distribute-medical-supplies-154308362.html] an agreement with Amazon
WeWork Billions, Zoom Bombings, Amazon Spouses, and Phone Weddings
On Tuesday, I gave a guest lecture — via Zoom — at the University of Colorado about financing innovative real estate products. This was a great opportunity to test some of the material Antony Slumbers and I are preparing for our Future-Proof Office Course [https://www.realinnovationacademy.com/]. If you are designing,
Pant-less Office, Acoustic Homes, Airbnb Glut, and Bacterial Construction
I hope you are well and staying productive during these strange times. Earlier this week, I led a live discussion with Antony Slumbers, Susan Freeman, Elie Finegold, and Ronen Journo about the impact of coronavirus on cities and buildings. About 640 people registered for the virtual event, with nearly 500
