Who invented coworking space
So here's the thing—coworking spaces weren't really something one person just came up with out of nowhere. A handful of folks saw the same gap and jumped on it. But if you're looking for who actually coined the term and opened the first official space, that's Brad Neuberg. Back in 2005, this guy started the San Francisco Coworking Space, and it's pretty much the first time anyone slapped the word "coworking" on a shared workspace built for independent workers who wanted community.
Who is Brad Neuberg and why is he credited?
Brad Neuberg's a software engineer, an entrepreneur, and honestly, just someone who hated working from home. He felt isolated, but traditional offices? Too rigid, too corporate. So in August 2005, he opened this space in the Mission District. The idea wasn't revolutionary just because of the desks and Wi-Fi—it was the whole philosophy behind it. He wrote a blog post called "Coworking: The Future of Work?" and laid out this vision of community, openness, collaboration. That's what stuck.
What were the earlier predecessors to coworking spaces?
Before Neuberg came along, there were already models floating around that kinda-sorta worked like coworking. They just didn't have the name or the community focus.
- Hackerspaces (1990s): These were community-run spaces where tech geeks, artists, and tinkerers could hang out, share tools, and build stuff. The first one, C-base, popped up in Berlin in 1995.
- Business Incubators (1980s-1990s): Think of these as starter kits for startups—shared office space, mentors, maybe some funding. The first incubator, Batavia Industrial Center, opened way back in 1959 in New York.
- Executive Suites (1960s-1970s): Companies like Regus (now IWG) rented out serviced offices. You got a desk, a phone line, maybe a receptionist. But zero community vibe.
- The "Third Place" Concept (1989): This one's from sociologist Ray Oldenburg. He wrote about "third places"—spaces that aren't home or work, where people just hang out and connect. Coworking spaces kind of took that idea and ran with it.
How did the first official coworking space work?
Neuberg's space was tiny, just a shared loft he rented a few days a week. But the model was simple and smart.
- Open Desks: No private offices here. Everyone sat together at a big communal table, side by side.
- Community Events: He organized weekly lunches and coworking days. Forced interaction? Maybe. But it worked.
- Membership Model: You paid daily or monthly. No long-term leases, no commitment anxiety.
- Technology Focus: Reliable Wi-Fi, power outlets everywhere, and a vibe that screamed "we build things here."
It was a direct response to the loneliness of remote work. Neuberg's space wasn't just a place to get stuff done—it was a community of people who got it.
Who else contributed to the early coworking movement?
Neuberg gets the credit, but he wasn't working in a vacuum. Plenty of others helped turn coworking into a global thing.
| Contributor | Contribution | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Bernard DeKoven | Used the term "coworking" in the 1990s, but he meant a collaborative work process, not a physical space. | 1999 |
| Citizen Space (San Francisco) | Opened in 2006 by Chris Messina and Tara Hunt. Became a huge hub for the tech crowd. | 2006 |
| WeWork (New York) | Founded by Adam Neumann and Miguel McKelvey in 2010. Turned coworking into a billion-dollar industry—for better or worse. | 2010 |
| Co-working Space (Vienna) | One of the first in Europe. Helped spread the model across the Atlantic. | 2006 |
What is the difference between coworking and a traditional shared office?
People ask this all the time. The answer's pretty straightforward—it's about culture, not just furniture.
- Community vs. Service: Coworking spaces are built around connection and collaboration. Traditional shared offices (like Regus) just give you a nice place to work—no community strings attached.
- Flexibility vs. Structure: Coworking lets you come and go as you please with daily or monthly passes. Traditional offices want you locked into a lease.
- Demographic: Freelancers, remote workers, and startups love coworking. Bigger companies, sales teams, and anyone needing a professional address tend to go for traditional shared offices.
- Culture: Coworking spaces feel alive—events, shared values, spontaneous conversations. Traditional offices are more transactional: you pay, you work, you leave.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was Brad Neuberg the only inventor of coworking?
Not really. He's the one most people point to, but the idea evolved from hackerspaces, incubators, and Oldenburg's third place concept. Multiple people were thinking along the same lines at the same time.
When was the term "coworking" first used?
Bernard DeKoven used it back in 1999 to describe a collaborative work process. But Brad Neuberg is the one who applied it to the physical shared workspace model in 2005.
What was the first coworking space in the world?
That would be the San Francisco Coworking Space, opened by Brad Neuberg in August 2005. It was the first to use the term and the community-driven model.
How did coworking spaces become so popular?
Honestly? The gig economy and remote work blew up. People needed flexible, affordable spaces. Then WeWork came along in 2010 and scaled the whole thing into a global phenomenon—for better or worse.
Resumen breve
- Inventor principal: Brad Neuberg fundó el primer espacio de coworkingo en San Francisco en 2005 y acuñó el término "coworking".
- Precursores clave: Hackerspaces (década de 1990), incubadoras de empresas (década de 1980) y el concepto de "tercer lugar" (1989) sentaron las bases.
- Diferencia fundamental: El coworking se centra en la comunidad y la colaboración, a diferencia de las oficinas compartidas tradicionales que priorizan el servicio y la privacidad.
- Evolución global: Empresas como WeWork (2010) y Citizen Space (2006) escalaron el modelo, convirtiendo el coworking en un fenómeno mundial.