People can connect in different ways. If you do a rope course with someone you otherwise wouldn't meet and you share this incredible challenge, then you have perhaps formed a bond that could last forever.
— Miguel McKelvey
It's certainly important for people to have a sense of privacy.
Partitions and cubicles can be oppressive. They are so boring.
Apart from differentiating our spaces with design, we also look for buildings that have distinctive character. We make sure every seat is a good one.
I want to be a person who says ‘Hey, if something is going on, come and tell me about it.'
I've seen how business can transform communities.
If you look at WeWork as a brand I think the way we design has a more masculine vibe.
I consider myself to be a ‘reducetarian.' I try to consume less and be aware of the decisions I'm making. Not just food, but single-use plastics, and fossil fuels and energy.
Many of the things we looked to solve initially were services like Internet and desk space. Then we got into the game of connecting people.
People need a space that they can go to make a conference or Skype call. It's important to create those spaces and create a company culture that supports those spaces.
When you have your own business, you don't mind failing if it makes you better in the long run.
Empowering people to pursue their journeys. That's our first mission. Put people into an environment where they can do that, and that creates the energy.
We've set this forever ambition to make WeWork the best place.
Many of our buildings have large format murals that are of varying subject matter, and we've found that those are the sort of things that make people stop, digest, and absorb.
A desk for $350 a month in a common area is not as cheap as a coffee shop. But a lot of people would say they're empowered by that environment in a way that makes it worth it.
I don't eat meat, but I don't consider myself a vegetarian.
It can be isolating to be an entrepreneur… you have to keep hustling to make it happen and that can be lonely.
We're very specific when we're drawing work plans. We think about the chances of when a person gets off the elevator where they will go. We think about how people get to a coffee machine, when they go and get their lunch, when they go to the bathroom.
For many of us, we imagine that separation is crucial, the time for your mind to switch from one thing to another is important. And there are other people who are much more comfortable with that barrier being on a spectrum, always working or always semi-working.
When you're 30, 40, 50 people and you're all in the room and that energy flows, that's sort of easy to maintain and I think we've learned to love that.
Commerce is a core component of pretty much any successful society.
Happiness, the feeling of positivity, really is the foundation of productivity.
Companies have greater responsibility to their team members and to the world these days. We're the ones with the power. Large employers are the ones that can move the needle on issues.
