October 31, 2023
Tech company Expensify is shutting down its free cocktail bar, which it opened earlier this year, after just six months. The bar was part of an experiment to make the workplace more like an adult playground, but CEO David Barrett says it wasn’t enough to lure people back to the office.
In a blog post to employees, Barrett wrote that “it’s safe to say that anyone going to the office every day is likely going because they feel pressured to (either by their boss or their peers), not because it’s actually their preferred place to be.”
Barrett also said that “the office is dead,” and that collaboration and community can now happen in cafes, beaches, airplanes, and kitchen tables around the world.
Expensify is now focusing its attention on its next bold experiment: a beer garden in Portland, Oregon. The beer garden features food carts, live entertainment, and a beer concession from Fracture Brewing.
The sources for this piece include an article in Sfist.
