WeWork, the multinational coworking company, has made a name for itself as a haven for freelancers, entrepreneurs, and small businesses. But as the company expands its reach, now operating 140 locations in 44 cities spread across 15 countries, it’s increasing appealing to a different clientele: corporate America.
According to the company’s head of product research, Josh Emig, members working for large companies has become the fastest growing segment of WeWorks’ business. There are roughly 22,000 members considered enterprise clients, defined as workers for companies that employ more than 500 people.
“There’s a perception that coworking is for startups and freelancers,” he says, “and that’s still true. But we get a lot of larger companies who want to behave more like smaller startups.”
The shift is reflective of many larger trends in the economy, says Emig. WeWork research predicts that by 2020, half of large companies will have some form of shared office space office space, whether that’s coworking or another model. The concept has become central to corporate strategies on growth and expansion.