AI, Generation Z, and the Future of Flexible Work

Q: How has WeWork's positioning in Latin America evolved over the past year within an increasingly competitive flexible office and hybrid work market?

A: Our value proposition has been significantly favored by recent shifts in Latin America. The region experienced considerable geopolitical uncertainty throughout 2025 and 2026. In our industry, uncertainty drives demand for flexibility. When market certainty is absolute, companies commit to traditional 15-year real estate leases; during uncertain times, a six-month flexible contract is highly advantageous, and that is precisely where we come in. Consequently, WeWork has achieved a significant increase in occupancy, primarily driven by global enterprises entering Latin America. 

Historically, our regional operation functioned as a joint venture, but in October 2024, it was fully integrated into our global portfolio. Operating as a unified global entity allows us to seamlessly capture international demand, as our offices in cities like Medellín can now be commercialized directly by our global teams in the European Union or the United States. Our inherent flexibility in customization, localization, and scaling has created a perfect match for current macroeconomic dynamics. 

Q: Beyond international corporate expansion, what are the primary organizational and labor challenges emerging in the market?

A: Looking strictly at the corporate office sector, modern professionals require a distinct purpose to visit a physical workspace. A longitudinal study we conducted over the last five years alongside Michael Page confirms that younger demographics demand individual purpose from their office environment. If a professional commutes to an office only to sit at a desk and spend eight hours on video conferences, tasks they could execute seamlessly from home, the friction of commuting, transit costs, and time away from family creates immediate disengagement.

Organizations must thus design physical spaces tailored for collaboration, mentorship, and well-being rather than just rows of desks. If a company fails to align its physical infrastructure and corporate structure with this sense of purpose, talent attrition accelerates rapidly. Workplace experience and organizational purpose frequently take precedence over base compensation for top-tier talent. 

Q: What concrete steps must companies take to optimize employee experience, recruitment, and long-term talent retention?

A: Workspace architecture is fundamentally linked to demographic expectations. For example, an organization where 70% of the workforce belongs to Generation Z requires designated wellness areas, pet-friendly facilities, and quiet spaces dedicated to mental health. Structurally, there is a profound conceptual shift occurring between generations. Historically, the paradigm was "work to live," but now the mindset is "live, then work." Leaders can no longer operate under the assumption that they are doing employees a favor by providing a job; instead, corporate design must actively value the employee's contribution and provide an exceptional internal experience. Just as corporations historically obsessed over customer experience (CX), they must now prioritize employee experience (EX). Organizations that design meaningful, flexible internal environments will consistently win the war for talent. 

Q: How does WeWork approach corporate flexibility, and how do you tailor environments to meet the unique needs of diverse enterprise clients?

A: We serve the entire corporate spectrum, configuring workspaces for single individuals up to full-scale operations exceeding 1,000 employees, including managing entire dedicated buildings for single corporate entities. Our spaces are inherently built around flexibility. Our specialized, in-house design division collaborates closely with clients to understand their precise operational needs and corporate identity. 

For example, in Colombia, we completely remodeled an office reception for a major spirits distributor, transforming a traditional entrance lobby into a fully functional corporate bar staffed by a receptionist-bartender. This level of bespoke tailoring ensures that the physical workspace directly reinforces the client's strategic branding and corporate culture. 

Q: What added value does your All Access membership bring to the market?

A: While the All Access product is utilized by corporate accounts for their hybrid workforces, it serves a massive demographic of individual professionals. It functions as a flexible monthly membership providing seamless entry to our global network of buildings. Members enjoy full access to common areas, high-speed Wi-Fi, and boardrooms across Latin America or globally, depending on the tier. The entire experience is managed via our mobile application, where users can instantly reserve hot desks or meeting rooms in real time — whether they need a workspace at Torre Reforma Latino in Mexico City or a meeting room in Guadalajara — enabling global mobility with standard access credentials. 

Q: How is the intersection of generational change and AI impacting corporate structures?

A: For the incoming generation of workers, AI is an absolute given, embedded deeply within their baseline expectations. Our data reveals an acceleration in how forward-thinking enterprises are adapting benefits and working structures, but a massive disconnect remains.

According to our research alongside Michael Page, only 2% of companies actively provided structured AI tools to their workforces last year. That figure has risen to between 14% and 16% this year. While a seven-fold increase is notable, it still means only one in five companies actively equips its workforce with AI infrastructure. Employees are adopting AI independently at a rapid pace, yet corporate processes remain rigid and slow to implement it natively. Companies must lose their systemic fear of the technology, stop blocking it, and make it widely available; the data explicitly shows it drives immense productivity gains without causing the displacement waves many feared. 

Q: What is WeWork's specific role in facilitating this technological shift for its community members?

A: We operate fundamentally as an ecosystem facilitator. While technology is not our core business, we act as an educational and operational launchpad for our members. Across our global locations, we organize a consistent schedule of hackathons, expert panels, and specialized tech seminars directly inside our buildings. WeWork hosts multiple events that focus on practical AI application and digital literacy. We amplify these critical market insights so our corporate members can bridge the internal tech gap faster.

Q: How is AI expected to fundamentally restructure the long-term future of work?

A: AI will serve as the ultimate catalyst to dismantle working structures inherited directly from the Industrial Revolution. For over two centuries, humanity has adhered to a rigid framework: entering a facility at a set hour, taking structured breaks, logging time, and exiting. It is entirely archaic that despite centuries of technological evolution, the standard eight-hour workday model remains virtually unchanged. The exponential productivity gains driven by AI will break this mold. We will see a shift where rigid schedules disappear entirely, traditional eight-hour shifts contract, and professionals manage multiple project-based outputs simultaneously. 

Q: What are WeWork’s definitive strategic targets and operational goals for the Mexican market for the remainder of 2026?

A: For 2026, our primary objective in Mexico is to stabilize and maintain an average portfolio occupancy rate of about 80%. WeWork is a highly profitable, financially stable, and self-sustaining operation. Consequently, our short-term strategy does not prioritize aggressive physical expansion or opening new locations. Instead, our focus remains entirely on consolidating our existing asset portfolio, maximizing operational efficiencies, and delivering premium value to our established community.