WeWork, a flexible space provider, is facing significant challenges in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The company expressed concerns about its ability to continue operating as a "going concern" in its recent earnings announcement. Over the years, WeWork has encountered various obstacles, and the decline in demand for its co-working spaces, with many companies adopting remote work and office space abandonment, has contributed to its struggles. In the second quarter alone, WeWork reported a net loss of $397 million on revenue of $877 million. While there was a 4% year-over-year increase in revenue, interim CEO David Tolley acknowledged softer demand and higher member churn than anticipated due to excess supply in commercial real estate, increased competition in flexible space, and macroeconomic volatility.
To ensure its future viability, WeWork outlined a plan focusing on improving liquidity and profitability over the next 12 months. This strategy includes cost-cutting measures through rent and tenancy cost reductions, negotiating more favorable lease terms, boosting revenue by reducing member churn and increasing new sales, controlling expenses, limiting capital expenditures, and exploring options for additional capital, such as debt or equity securities issuance or asset sales.
However, the financial market's response to WeWork's announcement was negative, with the company's stock plummeting by 33% in after-hours trading to a valuation of just 13 cents, underscoring the challenges it faces. WeWork's stock had previously reached an all-time high valuation of $47 billion after raising $1 billion in its SoftBank-led Series H funding round in January 2019. The departure of co-founder and former CEO Adam Neumann in 2019, amid allegations of poor management and arrogance, further shook WeWork. Since then, the company has made public attempts to improve its image and regain investor confidence.
Before its October 2021 initial public offering, WeWork made efforts to reinvent itself, but it is evident that these initiatives have not yielded the desired results. Crunchbase data indicates that WeWork has raised over $22 billion in funding, including debt, from investors such as SoftBank, Insight Partners, BlackRock, and Goldman Sachs.