SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son claimed turning WeWork around would be simple, but the two months since his company took control have proven to be just the start of a long process.
Jan. 9 marked 90 days since WeWork gave a presentation to investors laying out a 90-day plan to pull the company out of the spiral that began with its disastrous IPO filing. The PowerPoint was shown Oct. 11, when the company was in negotiations for a bailout loan from JPMorgan Chase, Pitchbook reported.
But when SoftBank took over majority ownership in early November, the 90-day time frame was quietly discarded, a WeWork spokesperson confirmed to Bisnow.
"In November, WeWork's new executive leadership laid out the company's go-forward strategy, focused on delivering strategic and profitable growth and an exceptional experience for our members," the spokesperson said in a statement. "We continue to execute on this plan and serve our members as the world’s leading co-working and space-as-a-service platform."
In the two months since SoftBank's takeover, WeWork has enacted some tangible changes:
The layoff of 20% of the company's global workforce.
A dramatic slowdown on new leases.
The sale of search engine optimization firm Conductor back to its founders.
The shuttering of side projects started by co-founder Adam Neumann and/or his wife, Rebekah.