WeWork rides lifestyle change to become new economy star

San Francisco

GOING to the office isn't what it used to be. As more workers shift to on-demand and "gig" employment, the workplace has changed, and no company has capitalised on this more than WeWork.

With free-flowing beer and coffee, the smartly designed offices that have popped up in dozens of cities in some 20 countries have become coveted by small firms and freelancers in technology and other sectors.

WeWork, with a whopping valuation by investors of US$20 billion, has taken the lea…