ArrowArtboardCreated with Sketch.Title ChevronTitle ChevronIcon FacebookIcon LinkedinIcon Mail ContactPath LayerIcon MailPositive ArrowIcon Print
Companies

Office blues: SoftBank under fire as WeWork value shrinks

Investors scrutinize unicorns force-fed with jumbo-size financing

NEW YORK/TOKYO -- When SoftBank Group invested a further $2 billion in New York-based shared-workspace provider WeWork this January, it had valued the company at $47 billion. This week, it was reported that We Company, WeWork's parent, is exploring a target valuation less than half that size for its upcoming initial public offering, in the neighborhood of $20 billion.

The Japanese tech investment powerhouse has already booked nearly 200 billion yen ($1.87 billion) worth of unrealized losses for the quarter ended in June, much of it stemming from the sluggish share price of Uber Technologies, which listed this year.

Sponsored Content

About Sponsored Content This content was commissioned by Nikkei's Global Business Bureau.

Discover the all new Nikkei Asia app

  • Take your reading anywhere with offline reading functions
  • Never miss a story with breaking news alerts
  • Customize your reading experience

Nikkei Asian Review, now known as Nikkei Asia, will be the voice of the Asian Century.

Celebrate our next chapter
Free access for everyone - Sep. 30

Find out more