WeWork has revealed its ambitious plan to exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S. and Canada by May 31.
According to a report published by Reuters, the close target comes after the company said it has successfully negotiated an over 40% reduction in rent commitments — amounting to more than an $8 billion decrease of its previous obligations.
WeWork, which suffered a considerable downfall from its peak valuation of $47 billion, filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy in November 2023 after its long-term lease liabilities mounted amidst dwindling office space demand. The company claims it has renegotiated around 150 leases to reflect current market conditions and is in the process of exiting an additional 150 leases.
A key factor to WeWork’s post-bankruptcy strategy has been its substantial reduction in future rent costs. The restructuring effort received a boost in November when WeWork secured an agreement with over 90% of its bondholders to convert $3 billion of debt into equity, ensuring the continued support of SoftBank — which owns approximately 70% of the company, as reported by Reuters.
This company’s finances have garnered interest in potential bids from unique parties including WeWork’s Ex-CEO Adam Neumann, and online rental platform Rentberry.
More specifically, on March 25, Neumann submitted an over $500 million buyback offer for the company with his new property company Flow. It’s reported by CNBC that the bid could increase up to $900 million pending due diligence. However, the financing behind Neumann’s offer is not immediately clear.
WeWork’s goal of exiting chapter 11 bankruptcy by the end of May suggests a new era for the company could be on the horizon. However, as WeWork downsized, many of its competitors have quickly moved to expand in markets around the world and valuations are not what they once were for the company. WeWork would likely continue to face an uphill battle to redefine its position in fast moving world of coworking and overcome the challenges that have shrouded its recent history.
