A few months back, I shared that WeWork had issued a dire warning in its quarterly financial filing: “substantial doubt exists about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.”

Today, the Wall Street Journal reported that WeWork is planning to file for chapter 11 bankruptcy. To be fair, it hasn’t filed yet, and something could happen to allow it to avert bankruptcy and continue to operate.

Regardless, this is a stunning fall for a well-known, venture capital–backed company. Crunchbase says that the company has raised over $22 billion in equity and debt financing over the years. Its valuation peaked in 2019, when it raised a reported $6 billion from Softbank at a $47 billion valuation. When I shared the dire-warning post on August 9, 2023, the company had a market capitalization (i.e., valuation) of $272 million. As of today, October 31, 2023, it’s worth $120 million. From $47 billion to $120 million in roughly four years is a staggering valuation drop.

I’m curious to see what happens next with WeWork and if it will impact investor and founder sentiment.