Following his less-than-flattering comments about Jersey City last week, Sean Black and WeWork have parted ways, according to The Real Deal.
It’s unclear whether Black resigned, was let go, or if the comments played a role in the departure. Both Black and WeWork declined to comment. Based on the timeline it’s more than likely related to his negative Jersey City comments.
To recap, according to Real Estate Weekly:
Sean Black, an executive vice president at WeWork, told attendees at a CoreNet panel at the Grand Hyatt in Midtown that his firm is looking closely at Bushwick to open its next outpost, because, unlike Jersey City, it’s “cool.”
“Brooklyn has really emerged as this epicenter of where people want to be,” said Black. “If you look at Jersey City, it’s so far ahead relative to a lot of different product it has, but it doesn’t have life, it doesn’t have vibrancy, it’s not cool, it’s got no vibe.”
Maybe Black wasn’t paying attention a decade ago but Brooklyn wasn’t always cool. Brokers then would have laughed at the mere thought of Bushwick ever being cool. Yet 10 years later, Brooklyn is the epicenter of all that is cool. Let’s see what another 10 years brings.
As for now, it appears WeWork has sided with Jersey City on the cool question.
