WeWork’s pre-IPO filing last month was met with investor disinterest and criticism, leading the company to postpone the offering. Now, there are reports of CEO Adam Neumann being asked to step down by the company’s board.
This move has been supported by SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son, particularly after SoftBank pushed for the postponement in the first place after their $47 billion valuation of the coworking company was slashed by more than double.
There has been speculation that Son’s support of Neumann stepping down is to prevent the company from going public, particularly as it gears up to open its Vision Fund 2.
Despite the turmoil, it is difficult to pinpoint whether this news will have an impact on WeWork India. 70% of the brand franchisee, controlled by Buildcon LLP, is reportedly about to be bought out by WeWork at a valuation of around $2.75 billion. Moving forward, the company expects to expand its footprint across Chennai, Hyderabad and Pune during the second half of 2019.