WeWork is booming. I sometimes feel the amount of WeWork co-working spaces are as many as Starbucks in NYC. Just like using Cloud instead of putting together servers these days, startups go to WeWork or other co-working spaces by default, before they get large enough to afford their administration, especially in US cities.

Flux currently rents a 4-person office in WeWork Montgomery St in SF. I use WeWork credits to rent “hot desk” in NYC from time to time, each credit (~25$ value) can get me one desk for one day. I’ve been leveraging the flexibility to go to different WeWork places based on my schedule. It’s interesting to notice WeWork places vary quite a bit. Some have larger open-floor areas, nicer decoration, or more open layout. One “indicator” I use is to check if there is fresh milk besides coffee machine: most places have that, but some don’t.

Also, some places are busier than others. If it becomes difficult to find a phone booth, I consider that place over-crowded. It depends on weekdays, too. Friday tends to be… busier than usual, believe it or not.

Another interesting part is social function. Do strangers get to know each other and social in WeWork? Based on my observation, not much… people are more in work mode in WeWork, and most wear headphones in open spaces. So it’s not really a social scene. There are sofas for people to talk, but as I see, mostly for co-workers or people who already know each other.