WeWork , the late tech darling turned speculation - fund flameout , sure looks like a walking corpse . Now , thanks to1,600 potentially formaldehyde - tainted speech sound booths , many of its offices reportedly have the odor to fit .

After years of coast as a unicorn , the tech - atomic number 39 real - estate company shambled toward the public market with an unearned rating in 2019 and investor eventually baulk . Its IPO wascancelled . Its bizarre ( even by start - up standard ) CEO voluntarilystepped down . The company is now so penny-pinching to running out of money thatbanksand itsmajor investorhave prepped freestanding bail - out packet .

Any one of those red masthead should be enough for investors — or hell , even possible tenants — not to touch WeWork with a 10 - foot pole . But if you somehow missed the message , the caller helpfully announce today that 1,600 headphone booths are being removed from the company ’s co - working spaces in the U.S. and Canada due to “ potentially elevated level of formaldehyde . ”

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Photo: Scott Olson (Getty)

https://twitter.com/embed/status/1183720611027312641

Formaldehyde , you ’ll recall , is a carcinogen used in the creation of particle control board and other bum composite lumber . It ’s also an embalming factor .

According toBusiness Insider , WeWork sent out emails informing renter at impacted positioning Monday aurora , observe that it had received complaint of “ odor and centre irritation . ” After commission outside testing , the company apparently decided the phone booths should join the otherextraneous , potentially harmful parts of its patronage — a private cat valium , a preschool , a fitness ball club — it ’s chop-chop trying to strip .

Argentina’s President Javier Milei (left) and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., holding a chainsaw in a photo posted to Kennedy’s X account on May 27. 2025.

“ The safe and well - being of our appendage is our top precedence , and we are mold to repair this spot as chop-chop as possible . After a member inform us of odor and eye excitation , WeWork performed an analysis , including having an outside adviser carry on a series of test on a sample of earphone stall . Upon receiving results late last workweek , we began to take all potentially touch phone booths out of service , ” a WeWork representative told Gizmodo via email . “ Out of an abundance of caution , we are also take or so 700 additional phone booths out of service while we conduct more testing . ”

Almost anyone who set foot inside a WeWork should ’ve been able-bodied to reek that something was off . Those who resist speculation turned out to be much more observant than they could ’ve imagined .

Updated with comment from WeWork

William Duplessie

WEWORK

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