Future of Work
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
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
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 on technology's impact on real estate! Where to next for the shared workspace firm? Time to say goodbye to “We”, the company that aims to encompass its members' whole
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
Sharing Won’t Change Real Estate
Coworking and coliving are all the rage, but focusing on customers’ needs points to a much larger opportunity.Consumer products are developed with a specific customer in mind. Real estate often isn’t: A space is expected to serve anyone who happens to pay for it. The customers need to
