WeWork Now Limits NYC Workers To Measly 4 Free Beers Per Day

WeWork bills itself as a community coworking space for start-ups, freelancers, and self-employed people who don't have a traditional office in which to work. It also has, in certain cities, a reputation for cultivating a party-first, work-later vibe, thanks in no small part to its unlimited free beer for clients. But that's changing for workers in WeWork's NYC locations, who will now be restricted to a can-still-get-you-pretty-snockered four 12-ounce beers per day.

The news comes via an email sent to WeWork's New York clients (posted to Twitter and elsewhere) who were informed that they will soon have to use their key cards to activate beer taps, which will only dispense four 12-ounce beers per person, and only during the hours of noon to 8 p.m. on weekdays; the taps will be locked at all other times. Or, put in tech speak: "WeWork is pivoting to an innovative, software-driven mechanism to help manage the provision of alcohol in our spaces."

Many people responded positively to the news, which signals WeWork's commitment to being an office space rather than a frat house. Still others wondered if it wasn't a solution to a problem that doesn't exist: One person who's worked in WeWork's midtown Manhattan offices says he's never seen "the vaguest hint of wild startup culture here."

Alyssa Bereznak, tech reporter for The Ringer, tweets that the alcohol policy doesn't solve WeWork's biggest beer issue: "This still doesn't fix the fact that all of @wework's free 'beer' comes out as straight foam."