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My old mentor told me coworking spaces are dying. I think he's wrong. What do you all think?

I was grabbing coffee with a guy who ran a tech startup in Detroit back in the early 2010s. He told me coworking spaces are a waste now because everyone works remote from home. He said places like WeWork and Ponyride are just expensive spots to pretend to be busy. But I see it different. Last week I spent a day at a spot in Midtown called Bamboo Detroit and met three people who helped me fix a coding bug and find a new client. I think the community part still matters even if the office part is dead. So which side is right for a city like Detroit? Are coworking spaces still worth it or are they just a fad that passed?

3 comments

3 Comments

jamie8041mo ago

Honestly, Bamboo Detroit sounds more like a networking event with wifi than a dying business model.

finleyl391mo ago

Yeah I was just thinking about that actually. I remember signing up for one of those coworking spots back in 2018 because I thought I'd get all this work done around other motivated people. But instead I just ended up eating free bagels and talking to some guy about his crypto startup that never launched. Like it's basically a pricey spot to check your email and pretend you're being productive while drinking bad coffee. The whole thing feels more like a social club for people who don't want to work from home but also don't have a real office. Not saying it's dying exactly, just that the whole coworking thing got overhyped way too fast.

logan5251mo ago

That whole "pretend to be busy" thing reminds me of when I bought a treadmill desk and it just became a coat rack.