Dror Poleg's Newsletter Archive
Coronavirus Response: Urban Technology in China and the U.S.
Dror Poleg discusses the use of urban technology to fend of Covid-19, contrasting the advantages and risks of the Chinese and American approaches. Interviewed by Olivier Knox on SiriusXM Radio.
WeWork Cash, Amazon Code, Quarantine Leases, and Radical Localism
1. Who let the kids in? 300 million children are suddenly [https://www.forbes.com/sites/kerrymcdonald/2020/03/11/the-worlds-homeschooling-moment/#d0dbf24550c3] homeschooled across the world. Some parents can't wait for this experiment to end. Others might find that it's been good for their children and
Office viruses, Human Retail, Flagship Funerals, and Online Drinking
1. Worried about viruses? Don't read this. In 2017, researches wanted to see how long it takes for a virus to spread in an office. They placed a (harmless) sample on a doorknob and on the hand of one volunteer in an office with over 100 people. Within
Real Estate’s New Age of Abundance
A short video presentation based on my talk at the Rethinking Real Estate book launch in London.
Real Estate Innovation: What Makes a Winning Strategy?
A snippet from Dror Poleg’s talk at the Wharton Real Estate Club, looking at the strategy of innovators in the world of office, residential, industrial space, and hospitality. Companies featured: Common Living, The Office Group, Sonder, Cloud Kitchens, and Lineage Logistics.
We Are All Adam Neumann: A Short Farewell to 2019
WeWork encapsulates everything that was good and bad about the world in 2019. That's why we couldn't keep our eyes off it.
Hotel Masayoshi: How to Fund the Future of Real Estate?
To transform the world’s largest asset class, entrepreneurs must rely on a new combination of capital. Last week, we explored Neumann’s Vortex [https://www.drorpoleg.com/neumanns-vortex-wework-and-the-key-to-real-estates-future/], the cycle of fast growth, negative cashflow, and venture injections that threatened to bury WeWork and other companies that are de-facto
Neumann’s Vortex: WeWork and the Key to Real Estate’s Future
Matching the right capital with the right activities is critical to WeWork’s survival — and to the future of real estate in general.
Proptech is Dead!
The technologies that had the biggest impact on our cities and buildings had nothing to do with real estate. Today, tech is once again changing everything we take for granted about the built environment. These changes challenge real estate investors to think strategically. Here is what it all means. Dror
Long WeWork, Short Airbnb?
Real estate’s two greatest unicorns offer important lessons about the meaning of “tech”, the future of venture investment, and the lasting power of real assets — and real liabilities. WeWork epitomizes everything people hate about startups. It “reinvented” something that seems banal and easy to replicate. It is growing for
Farewell to We: What's next for WeWork?
Below are some notes I scribbled ahead of a media interview. Sharing here for those interested. Check out my upcoming book [https://www.rethinking.re/] on technology's impact on real estate! Where to next for the shared workspace firm? Time to say goodbye to “We”, the company that
It’s Not We, It’s You: A Lesson That Landlords Must Learn
Whether WeWork succeeds or fails, landlords are facing an immense challenge that everyone seems eager to ignore. Remember Napster? It was a precursor to what we now call the sharing economy. Instead of buying a record from the record companies, Napster allowed people to share storage space with one another
Can ‘We’ Work? Perspectives on WeWork’s IPO
WeWork combines an impressive trajectory with significant risk. Other public companies offer valuable insights about its business model, liabilities, governance, and valuation. Welcome to the desert of the real. Jean Baudrillard coined the term in 1981 to describe a world in which reality is a derivative of its representation — a
Is Starbucks is a Coworking & Toilet Operator?
The coffee giant is struggling with non-customers who only want to sit at a table and use the bathrooms. It should embrace them, for a fee. A few weeks ago, Starbucks was berated on social media for calling the police after one of its store managers was not able to
No Rent: Real Estate’s New Business Models
Emerging technologies will enable operators to monetize physical space in new and creative ways. Every day, each of us visits dozens of web sites and apps to access information and use various tools for work, communication, and fun. Most of these sites and apps are free. Online business models allow
Artificial Intelligence: Real Estate's Data Revolution?
The ability to capture, analyze, and act on large amounts of data will turn property development into a never-ending process.
Do Landlords Dream of Electric Sheep?
The book behind “Blade Runner” offers important lessons about what humans want from their cities. And it isn’t flying cars.
Can Blockchain Revolutionize Real Estate?
Once the speculative dust settles, the technology behind Bitcoin can change the way property is financed, sold, and operated.
Sharing Won’t Change Real Estate
Coworking and coliving are all the rage, but focusing on customers’ needs points to a much larger opportunity.
Can housing become a service?
It takes 3 clicks to secure an apartment on AirBnB. It takes 3 weeks to secure an apartment using standard leasing procedures. Terms and fees vary but the underlying asset — an apartment — is the same. The boundary between travel and daily life is blurring. Why should the user experience be
