Thread by @alexhillman

My trip to India last month was part of my annual pilgrimage to connect with and study the Asian #coworking ecosystem and connect/reconnect with my community there.

And since returning, I’ve been thinking a lot about how much coworking has changed in the last 12-24 months.

And for the first time in a while, I can say I see changes in coworking that are for the BETTER.

It’s still early, so it’s subtle. But in the bigger context it makes more sense and as I describe what I’ve seen, I’ve been getting a lot of nodding heads.

So lemme break it down.

To understand the good stuff happening in coworking in 2018-2019, I’m looking at coworking as three distinct waves.

Let’s talk about first wave coworking, first.

First wave coworking was everything before 2011 or so.

This period was basically pure trailblazing, and increasingly on a global scale.

This period was marked by the coworking MOVEMENT, more of a cultural shift. Everyone was just…figuring things out, often in public.

I can say a lot about first wave coworking because I was a part of it. I have my biases in favor of the time, and I have lifelong relationships from it.

I also have my critiques, including some generalizations about how blind idealism isn’t sustainable on its own.

But the important thing about first wave coworking is that it was a mixed bag and THAT WAS A GOOD THING. Lots of lessons learned about what works and what doesn’t.

Maybe first wave coworking’s biggest contribution was establishing coworking as an identity, a thing to be & join.

Second wave coworking shows up around 2011. I remember the year that big real estate brands showed up at conferences for the first time.

It’s when I penned this post (dangerouslyawesome.com/2011/11/sex-co…), and observed the first major schisms in “what is, and isn’t, coworking?”

(Those debates were an annual-ish schtick on the coworking google group, but this time it was a bit more bloody and anxious.)

In short, second wave coworking was marked by opportunists of many kinds, the real estate invasion was just the most visible kind.

Hoodies & sneakers were clashing with suits & loafers.

Some straight Jets vs Sharks stuff, including some nasty stuff said in both directions.

But it wasn’t just RE people.

Lots of people saw what first wave coworking had done and wanted to do it too.

- some because they thought it was cool
- some because they thought it was gonna make them rich
- some because they were scared of changes to come

I gave many talks and wrote many things about coworking cargo cults, and the industrialization of coworking.

Many of my friends were afraid that coworking was losing its heart. At times, I’d say they were right to be afraid.

I was annoyed, more than anything.

Cuz up until second wave coworking, there was a good chance that if you were into coworking we were gonna be friends.

Second wave coworking broke that. I had to work way harder to find signal among the noise.

Also, second wave coworking turned a lot of the public off from coworking because most second wave coworking spaces sucked SO hard.

But second wave coworking did something important, too. It introduced bigger failures and flaws than ever before.

It brought #coworking to the mainstream, but along the way it took this previously idealistic and utopian concept and showed how bad it could be done, too.

I wish I had written it down somewhere but I remember saying many years ago that coworking won’t be in textbooks until there are massive successes, and even more massive failures.

I’ve seen more failures, but we haven’t seen THE textbook failure yet. I have my predictions ;)

So. Second wave coworking is not over. It’s still “growing” but the amount by which it’s growing is fairly predictable and even now. That’s not precisely true in some markets, especially Asia, but more on that in a minute.

(If you want more on second wave coworking this is my fav snapshot from 2016 jfdimag.com/the-problem-wi…)

Now you’re probably wondering…what the h-e-double-hockey-sticks is third wave coworking?

I saw a lot of third wave coworking in Asia. A LOT.

I see a lot of third wave coworking in my inbox (emails from founders and staff).

I see a lot of third wave coworking in the latest generation of spaces opened in the last 18-24 months.

Third wave coworking is aware of the first wave idealists, and of the pioneering values.

Third wave coworking is ALSO aware of second wave mistakes, and is deeply in tune with what makes so much of it feel fake and disconnected and shitty.

Third wave coworking is the pendulum swinging back.

It’s often more modest than second wave coworking, while still being ambitious.

It’s a bit more grounded than first wave coworking’s unbridled idealism (and often, terrible business acumen).

The third wave coworking founders (and staff!!) are smart enough to see what makes coworking actually valuable, and also smart enough to want to avoid the mistakes of both first and second wave coworking.

Third wave coworking is investing in research and education. They’re doing their homework, hiring for expertise and asking really good questions.

Third wave coworking is invested in getting good at both the operations side AND the community development side, and understands how both create distinct business value.

Third wave coworking is still tiny.

But it’s visible to me and I think will continue to be more visible over the next 12-24 months.

I’m watching and documenting and will be sharing more. But I wanted to get this initial observation on the record now while it’s fresh!