Reuters
FILE PHOTO: The WeWork logo is displayed outside of a co-working space in New York
- The US Securities and Exchange Commission is scrutinizing whether WeWork violated any financial rules, Bloomberg first reported Friday.
- The SEC is reportedly "reviewing" WeWork's fundraising methods and its disclosures to stakeholders in the weeks leading up to its failed attempt to go public, along with its business.
- Bloomberg reported that the SEC inquiry is preliminary, and that it may not lead to any allegations of wrongdoing.
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WeWork has drawn the attention of the US Securities and Exchange Commission after its failed attempt to go public, Bloomberg's Matt Robinson, Robert Schmidt, and Ellen Huet first reported Friday.
The office-sharing startup is facing federal scrutiny of its business, fundraising methods, and its disclosures to investors in the weeks leading up to its attempted IPO, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
Bloomberg's report that the SEC inquiry is preliminary, and that it may not lead to any allegations of wrongdoing. It also notes the SEC has been known to "kick the tires" of embattled companies in the public eye.
WeWork cancelled its planned IPO in late September shortly after ousting its chief executive, Adam Neumann, amid concerns from investors that the business wasn't as profitable as it initially claimed and that Neumann's controversial leadership style was putting the company's future in peril. WeWork was once privately valued at $47 billion, but that number has since fallen to a fraction of that and the company negotiated a rescue deal with SoftBank that gave the investor control.
A WeWork spokesperson declined to comment. A spokesperson for the SEC declined to comment.
Read the full report over at Bloomberg.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
