Coworking feels like a modern invention. Walk into any shared workspace today and you will see sleek lounges, pour-over coffee bars, and a steady hum of laptops. But this movement did not appear overnight. It took decades of experimentation, community building, and a few key moments of serendipity to shape the spaces millions of people now call their office. Understanding the history of coworking spaces helps explain why they look the way they do, and why they have become such a powerful force in how we work.
The Spark Before the Name
Long before the term “coworking” existed, people were already sharing workplaces. In the 1990s, freelancers and remote workers began clustering in internet cafés and coffee shops. These places offered WiFi, caffeine, and a change of scenery. But they were noisy, unpredictable, and not designed for long hours of focused work.
Around the same time, a few tech companies started experimenting with open floor plans and shared amenities. The goal was simple: get people talking, sharing ideas, and feeling less isolated. These early experiments laid the groundwork for what would become a global movement. They proved that people wanted to work near others, even if they worked for different companies.
The term “coworking” itself appeared in print as early as 1999. Bernie DeKoven, a game designer and author, used it to describe a style of working that was collaborative and independent at the same time. The idea was intriguing, but the physical spaces we recognize today would not appear for several more years.
The First True Coworking Space
The story often starts in 2005. That is when Brad Neuberg opened a space in San Francisco called the Hat Factory. He wanted to combine the freedom of working from home with the structure of a traditional office. Neuberg called it coworking, and the name stuck.
The Hat Factory offered shared desks, Wi-Fi, and a community of independent workers. It was simple. It was also a radical idea at the time. Instead of renting a cubicle in a corporate office, freelancers could pay a monthly fee to work alongside other independent professionals.
The term “coworking” itself had appeared a few years earlier. In 1999, Bernie DeKoven and Brian DeKoven introduced the word to describe a collaborative way of working. But the physical space movement took shape in the mid-2000s. The first official coworking space, the Hat Factory in San Francisco, opened in 2005. It was founded by Brad Neuberg, who wanted a workspace that combined the independence of freelancing with the community of an office.
That moment changed how people thought about work. It planted a seed that grew into a global movement.
The Roots Before the Term
The idea of shared workspaces did not appear from nowhere. It grew from earlier experiments and cultural shifts that stretched back decades.
In the 1990s, hackerspaces and hacker collectives created shared environments where programmers and tech enthusiasts could collaborate. These spaces were not offices. They were community driven, built around open exchange and mutual aid. The spirit of hacking, which meant playful, creative problem solving, carried over into the coworking world.
Around the same time, the rise of the internet and personal computing began freeing people from the traditional office. Freelancers, designers, and writers started working from home. But working alone had downsides. Isolation crept in. Motivation dipped. People missed the energy of a shared environment.
The term coworking itself appeared in 1999, when Brian DeKoven and Bernie DeKoven used it to describe a centralized working model. But that version was more about improving collaboration within a single company. It was not yet the open, community driven model we know today.
The First Coworking Space and the Birth of a Movement
The modern coworking story starts in 2005. That year, Brad Neuberg opened a space in San Francisco called the Hat Factory. He combined the freedom of independent work with the structure of an office. No assigned desks. No corporate overlord. Just a shared room with Wi-Fi, coffee, and a simple idea: work alone, together.
Neuberg did not invent the concept from scratch. Hackerspaces and communal offices had existed for years. What he added was the word coworking and a philosophy built on community, accessibility, and collaboration. The term itself had been floating around since 1999, when Bernie DeKoven and Brian DeKoven used it to describe a way of working that was less isolated than solo freelancing and less rigid than corporate employment. But Neuberg gave it a physical home.
The first dedicated coworking space, the Hat Factory in San Francisco, opened in 2005. It was a small experiment. A few desks, a shared vision, and a big idea: that independent workers did not have to be lonely. That simple concept sparked a global movement.
What Counts as a Coworking Space?
Before tracing the full timeline, it helps to define the term. Coworking is not just sharing an office. It is a shared workspace built around community, openness, and flexibility. Unlike a traditional office lease, coworking members usually pay by the day or month. They choose their own hours. They work beside people from different industries.
The key ingredients are:
- Shared space with flexible seating or dedicated desks
- Community events and networking
- Coffee, snacks, and common areas
- Access to meeting rooms and amenities
- A membership model instead of a long lease
This combination of flexibility and community is what separates coworking from a plain office rental.
The Spark Before the Name
The term coworking did not appear overnight. The concept has roots in older movements. European hacker spaces of the 1990s, like C-base in Berlin and the Hackerspace in London, offered shared tools and a collaborative ethos. In the United States, the 1999 founding of 42 West 24 in New York City gave freelancers and creatives a shared office with a living room feel. Many consider it an early prototype of the modern coworking space.
Around the same time, the first dot-com boom changed how people thought about work. Laptops, mobile phones, and the internet untethered work from a fixed desk. More people began freelancing. They craved community, but coffee shops were noisy and home offices felt isolating. The market was ready for something new.
The Birth of the Term Coworking
The word “coworking” was first used in 1999 by Bernie DeKoven, a game designer and author. He used it to describe a collaborative work method, not a physical space. His idea was simple: people could work together in a shared environment without being part of the same company. That concept planted the seed for what we know today.
In 2005, Brad Neuberg opened a space in San Francisco called the Hat Factory. It offered desks, Wi-Fi, and a shared atmosphere. Neuberg called it coworking. That moment is widely considered the birth of the modern coworking movement. The space was not just about sharing a room. It was about community, collaboration, and breaking the isolation of working alone.
The term itself had been used before. But Neuberg gave it a practical, daily meaning. He combined the structure of an office with the freedom of independent work. That mix became the blueprint for thousands of spaces worldwide.
The Spark Before the Flame
Coworking did not appear out of nowhere. The idea grew from earlier movements. Hacker spaces and maker spaces played a big part. These were community run workshops where people shared tools, skills, and ideas. Places like C-base in Berlin and the Hackerspace in London opened in the 1990s. They were not offices. They were clubs for tinkerers, programmers, and creators. Still, they planted the seed.
At the same time, the rise of freelancing changed how people thought about work. More people left traditional jobs. They wanted freedom, but they also wanted community. Working from home got lonely. Coffee shops were loud and unreliable. There was a gap between the cubicle and the kitchen table.
The term “coworking” itself appeared before the spaces did. Bernie DeKoven coined the phrase in 1999. He used it to describe a way of working together that was not tied to a single employer. The idea was about collaboration and shared purpose, not just sharing a building.
Then in 2005, a designer named Brad Neuberg opened a space in San Francisco. He called it the Hat Factory. He offered desks, Wi-Fi, and a community feel. The modern coworking movement had a starting point. The name stuck, and the concept began to spread.
The Spark That Started the Movement
Coworking did not appear out of nowhere. It grew from earlier experiments in shared work and collaborative culture. Hackerspaces, like Noisebridge and c-base, offered shared tools and a DIY ethos. They were about making things together, not just working side by side. The first true coworking space, as we know it, opened in 2005 in San Francisco. Brad Neuberg created a space where independent workers could share not just an office, but also a sense of community. That idea was the spark.
Before that, freelancers and remote workers had few options. Coffee shops were noisy. Home offices were isolating. Business centers felt stiff and corporate. Neuberg wanted something between the two: a place with the energy of a cafe and the professionalism of an office, but without the rigid hierarchy. He called it coworking, and the name stuck.
The term itself had appeared earlier. Bernie DeKoven coined “coworking” in 1999 to describe a collaborative work style. But the physical spaces we know today began around 2005. The first official coworking space opened in San Francisco. It was a small experiment. It grew into a worldwide phenomenon.
The Spark Before the Flame
Long before the name existed, the idea was forming. Hackerspaces and maker communities in the 1990s laid the groundwork. These were shared physical spaces where tech enthusiasts, tinkerers, and creators gathered to build things together. They valued openness, collaboration, and shared tools.
In 1995, a group of hackers in Berlin founded C-Base, a nonprofit space that offered a shared environment for tech projects. That same year, the term “coworking” appeared in a different context. Bernard DeKoven wrote about working together as equals, without hierarchy. It was not about real estate yet. It was about how people collaborate.
The internet changed everything. As more people gained access to powerful laptops and reliable connections, the idea of working from anywhere became real. Coffee shops filled with freelancers nursing one latte for hours. Libraries became makeshift offices. But those setups had limits. No reliable power. No privacy. No community.
Something had to change.
The First Sparks of the Movement
The story starts in California. In 2005, a game designer named Brad Neuberg created a shared workspace in San Francisco. He called it the Hat Factory. It was a simple idea: give freelancers a place to work that felt less isolating than a home office and more professional than a cafe. Neuberg wanted to combine the freedom of independent work with the structure and community of a traditional office. He needed a name for this concept, so he coined the term coworking.
The term itself had appeared before. Bernie DeKoven had used it in a 1999 article to describe a collaborative way of working. But Neuberg gave it a physical home. His space was open a few days a week. It offered coffee, Wi-Fi, and shared tables. Most importantly, it offered other people.
That simple formula, community plus flexibility, became the foundation for everything that followed.
The Birth of the Movement
The idea did not appear out of nowhere. The 1990s saw a rise in freelance work and telecommuting, but most remote workers were isolated. They sat in coffee shops or spare bedrooms, missing the structure and social life of an office. A few early experiments tried to solve this.
In 1995, a group of hackers in Berlin created C-base, a shared workspace for tech enthusiasts. Around the same time, a collective called 42 West 24 in New York offered desk space for designers and artists. These places had the spirit of coworking, but they did not yet use the name.
The word “coworking” first appeared in 1999, when Bernie DeKoven wrote about working together as equals. His idea was not about real estate. It was about collaboration and shared purpose. That definition still matters today.
Then came the space.
In 2002, a group of freelancers in Vienna, Austria, founded a place called Schraubenfabrik. It was a former factory, repurposed into a shared workspace. Many people consider it the first true coworking space, even though the name was not used yet. The idea was simple: independent workers could share a space, split costs, and build community. That model planted the seed for everything that followed.
The Term Coworking Enters the Scene
The word “coworking” first appeared in 1999. Brian DePuy and Bernie DeKoven used it to describe a work model that was less isolated than solo remote work. But the concept did not become a real movement until 2005, when Brad Neuberg opened a space in San Francisco called the Hat Factory. He combined the independence of freelancing with the community of a traditional office. That was the first space to officially use the term coworking.
Neuberg wanted to solve a problem. Freelancers worked alone at home or in coffee shops. They missed the structure of an office. They also missed people. So he built a space that offered both. The idea caught on, and soon similar spaces opened across the United States and Europe.
What Counts as Coworking?
Before tracing the timeline, it helps to define the term. Coworking is not just sharing an office. It is a shared workspace built around community, flexibility, and collaboration. Members often include freelancers, remote workers, startups, and small teams. They pay a membership fee to use desks, meeting rooms, and amenities. But the real product is connection.
The word “coworking” itself has an interesting backstory. It was first used in 1999 by Bernie DeKoven, a game designer and author. He used it to describe a way of working that was less about competition and more about collaboration. The term did not describe a physical space back then. It described a mindset.
That mindset became a movement. And that movement changed how millions of people work.
The Spark Before the Boom
Long before sleek lounges and kombucha taps, the seeds of coworking were planted in the 1960s and 1970s. Think of it as a quiet rebellion against the corporate office. People wanted autonomy. They wanted community. And they wanted work that felt meaningful.
The earliest experiments were not called coworking. They were called hacker spaces, collective studios, or simply shared offices. In 1995, a group of engineers in Berlin opened C-base, a nonprofit hackerspace. Around the same time, the first “smart” buildings and business centers in New York and London began offering shared desks and meeting rooms. These were the first glimpses of what we now call coworking.
The term “coworking” itself appeared in 1999, thanks to Bernie DeKoven and his idea of collaborative work. But the movement we recognize today started a few years later. In 2005, Brad Neuberg opened a space in San Francisco called the Hat Factory. He wanted to combine the independence of freelancing with the community of an office. That simple idea became the blueprint for modern coworking.
The Birth of a Movement
The word “coworking” carries a hyphen in its early history. Neuberg and his peers used “co-working” to describe a new way of working together without the constraints of a traditional employer. The first true coworking space opened its doors in 2006 in San Francisco. It was called the Hat Factory. It offered desks, coffee, and something more valuable: a sense of belonging.
Around the same time, other pioneers were experimenting with similar ideas. In 2005, Brad Neuberg created a space called 9to5 in San Francisco. It was a simple concept. Freelancers paid a small fee to work in a shared room with Wi-Fi, coffee, and a community. That idea caught on. By 2007, the term coworking had entered the mainstream lexicon, and spaces began appearing in major cities across the United States and Europe.
The Spark Behind the Movement
The coworking movement did not appear out of nowhere. It grew from a mix of frustration and vision. Freelancers and remote workers were tired of two extremes. They could work from home, which felt isolating. Or they could rent a traditional office, which felt expensive and rigid. Coworking offered a third path.
The term itself has roots in collaboration. The idea was simple: independent workers could share space, resources, and ideas while keeping their autonomy. That mix of community and independence became the core promise of coworking. It is why the model resonated so strongly in the 2000s and why it continues to grow today.
The First Coworking Spaces
The story starts before the word “coworking” existed. In 1995, a group of hackers in Berlin opened C-base, a shared space for tech enthusiasts. It was not an office. It was a community hub. Around the same time, a company called 42 West 24 in New York offered shared desks and a lounge. The term “coworking” did not exist yet, but the ingredients were there: shared infrastructure, a community feel, and flexible access.
In 1999, Bernie DeKoven introduced the term “coworking” to describe a collaborative work method. But the movement we know today took shape in 2005. That is when Brad Neuberg opened the first official coworking space in San Francisco. He called it the Hat Factory. It blended the structure of an office with the freedom of independent work. Neuberg wanted a place where freelancers could focus, but also connect with other people. He combined the best of working from home and working in a traditional office.
The name stuck. The model spread. And a movement was born.
The Early Spark Before the Term Existed
Long before the word “coworking” appeared, people were already creating shared work environments. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, hackerspaces and tech collectives laid the groundwork. These communities were built on shared tools, open collaboration, and a DIY spirit. They were not offices. They were workshops for creators, coders, and makers who wanted an alternative to both corporate life and working alone.
In 1999, a company called 42 West24 opened in New York. It billed itself as a place for freelancers to gather and share ideas. It did not call itself a coworking space, but it had the same spirit. Around the same time, the “hackerspace” movement was growing in Berlin and other tech hubs. These early spaces were about community, not just desks.
The word “coworking” itself has an earlier origin. In 1995, Brian DePuy and Bernie DeKoven discussed the term to describe a distributed work model. But the physical coworking space we know today started later. The first true coworking space opened in 2005 in San Francisco. It was called the Hat Factory. Brad Neuberg, a software developer, created a shared office where freelancers could work independently, but together. That simple idea sparked a global movement.
The Birth of a Movement
The story begins with a few key pioneers. Neuberg wanted to combine the independence of working from home with the structure of an office. His space offered desks, coffee, and community. It was not the first shared office, but it was the first to use the word coworking in this context.
Around the same time, other spaces were emerging. In London, The Hub (now Impact Hub) opened its doors in 2005. It focused on social entrepreneurs and changemakers. In San Francisco, the Hat Factory and Citizen Space helped define the model. These early spaces were not just about rent. They were about connection, collaboration, and shared values.
The term “coworking” itself came from Brad Neuberg, a software developer. He used it in 2005 to describe a new kind of workspace that combined the independence of freelancing with the community of a traditional office. The idea spread fast.
The Pre-History: Hackerspaces and the Dot-Com Hangover
Before coworking had a name, there were hackerspaces. These community-run workshops gave tech enthusiasts a place to build, tinker, and share tools. They were not offices. They were labs, clubs, and creative garages. The most famous early example is C-base in Berlin, founded in 1994. Others, like NYC Resistor and Noisebridge, followed later.
At the same time, the dot-com boom was reshaping how people thought about work. The late 1990s brought freelance culture into the mainstream. More people started working from home, cafes, and anywhere with a laptop and a signal. But working alone got lonely. The missing ingredient was community.
The First Coworking Spaces
The term “coworking” itself has an interesting path. The word was first used in 1999 by Bernie DeKoven, a game designer and author. He used it to describe a way of working together that was not tied to a traditional office. But his idea was more about the style of work than a physical location.
The first physical space to use the term was the Coworking Wiki, launched by Brad Neuberg in 2005. Neuberg was a software developer in San Francisco. He wanted a place that combined the independence of freelancing with the structure and community of an office. His first coworking space opened in a feminist collective in the Mission District. It offered a shared table, Wi-Fi, and a simple idea: work alone, together.
That small experiment planted a seed. By 2006, the term “coworking” had its own entry on Wikipedia. The concept was young, but the need was real. Freelancers, remote workers, and independent creatives were tired of working from coffee shops and kitchen tables. They wanted a third place, not home, not a corporate office, but something in between.
The Spark Before the Flame
The story does not start with a single founder or a big company. It starts with a simple observation. People were already sharing offices informally. Hackerspaces, like the ones in Berlin and San Francisco, had created communities of makers and coders who shared tools and ideas. These spaces proved that people craved connection, not just a desk.
The term coworking itself was coined in 1999 by Bernie DeKoven and Brian DeKoven. They used it to describe a shared working philosophy, not a physical space. The idea was simple: independent workers could collaborate and share values, not just a building. That concept planted the seed for everything that came later.
In 2005, Brad Neuberg opened the first official coworking space in San Francisco. It was called the Hat Factory. Neuberg wanted a place that felt like home, but offered the structure of an office. He combined the community of a hackerspace with the comfort of a cafe. That blend became the blueprint for modern coworking.
What Counts as Coworking?
Coworking is not just sharing an office. It is a shared workspace built around community, flexibility, and collaboration. Members often include freelancers, remote workers, startups, and small teams. They rent desks or private offices on flexible terms. They share amenities like Wi-Fi, meeting rooms, and coffee. But the real value is the network of people around them.
The movement grew out of a simple observation. Working alone can be lonely. Working from home can feel isolating. The traditional office can feel rigid and outdated. Coworking offered a third path.
This article explores the history of coworking spaces, from early hacker collectives to the global industry we know today. You will see how the movement started, why it grew, and where it might go next.
Before Coworking: The Seeds of Shared Work
Long before the term coworking existed, people shared workspaces. Artists and craftspeople gathered in guilds and studios. Scientists shared labs. Writers filled cafés. The idea of working alongside others is not new.
But the modern coworking movement has a specific origin story. It grew out of a mix of frustration and creativity. Freelancers and remote workers in the late 1990s and early 2000s felt isolated at home. They also found coffee shops noisy and unreliable. The need for community, structure, and a decent chair became obvious.
Hackerspaces and the First Spark
Before coworking, there were hackerspaces. These community run workshops appeared in the 1990s. They gave tech enthusiasts a place to share tools, ideas, and projects. The first dedicated hackerspace, C-base, opened in Berlin in 1994. Others followed in cities like New York and London. These spaces were not offices. They were creative labs. But they planted a seed. The idea that people could share a physical space and build community around work was powerful.
At the same time, the dot-com boom was reshaping how people thought about work. Freelancers and small teams were growing in number. Coffee shops became makeshift offices. But coffee shops had limits. No reliable power for laptops, no printers, and no meeting rooms. People needed something better. That need set the stage for the first true coworking spaces.
The First Coworking Spaces
The term “coworking” itself has a few origin stories. The concept of collaborative work was discussed in the 1990s, but the physical movement took shape in the early 2000s. In 2002, a group of freelancers in San Francisco created a space called Spiral Muse. It was a cooperative workspace with a focus on community, though it did not use the word “coworking.”
Then came the Hackerspace movement. In 2005, a group of programmers in San Francisco founded Noisebridge, a hacker collective that offered shared tools and a collaborative atmosphere. Around the same time, the first official coworking space opened its doors in London. It was called The Hub, and it was designed for social entrepreneurs. The space offered desks, coffee, and a community of purpose driven people. The term “coworking” itself is often credited to Brad Neuberg, who launched a space in San Francisco in 2005 called 9 to 5 Group. Neuberg wanted the best of both worlds: the independence of freelancing and the community of an office.
These early spaces were small, experimental, and powered by a simple idea. People who worked alone did not have to stay alone. They could share a room, a Wi-Fi connection, and a sense of purpose.
The name stuck. The movement grew. And by the late 2000s, coworking had become a recognizable alternative to both the home office and the corporate cubicle.
The Pre-History of Shared Workspaces
Long before the term coworking existed, people shared workspaces. Think of artist lofts in New York, hacker spaces in Silicon Valley, and the communal offices of design studios. These spaces shared a common thread: creative people wanted to work near each other.
In the 1990s, the rise of the internet untethered work from the office. Freelancers and early remote workers began gathering in cafes and living rooms. They craved structure, community, and reliable Wi-Fi. The term “coworking” itself was first used in 1999 by Bernie DeKoven, a game designer and author. He used it to describe a style of work that was collaborative rather than competitive. The idea was simple: people working together, not for the same company, but in the same spirit.
That definition mattered. It shifted the focus from shared walls to shared values. Community, access, and collaboration became the core ideas. The physical space was secondary.
The First Spaces That Started It All
The first true coworking space opened in 2005. It was in San Francisco. A designer named Brad Neuberg wanted a workspace that felt different from both a corporate office and a home office. He called it the Hat Factory. It offered desks, Wi-Fi, and a shared vibe. But it was small and short lived.
The bigger breakthrough came in 2006. Neuberg teamed up with Chris Messina and others to launch a space in the Mission district of San Francisco. They named it Citizen Space. That space is often called the first real coworking space. It gave the movement its name and its ethos: community over competition, collaboration over isolation.
Around the same time, other pioneers were experimenting with similar ideas. In 2005, Brad Neuberg started a small shared office in San Francisco and used the word coworking to describe it. He wanted something between working from home and working in a corporate office. The concept spread slowly at first. Then it caught on.
The Spark Behind the Movement
The story of coworking is not just about real estate. It is about a shift in how people think about work. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, freelancers and remote workers were lonely. Coffee shops were loud. Home offices were isolating. Libraries had strict rules. There was no middle ground.
Some early spaces tried to fill that gap. Hackerspaces in Berlin and San Francisco offered shared tools and a community of makers. The first dedicated hacker space, c-base in Berlin, opened in 1994. These spaces were about collaboration and shared resources, but they were not called coworking yet.
The term “coworking” itself first appeared in 1999. Bernie DeKoven, a game designer and facilitator, used it to describe a way of working that was less about competition and more about collaboration. His idea was not tied to a physical building. It was a philosophy. A mindset.
That distinction matters. The word existed before the spaces did. The physical coworking space as we know it came later, and it took a few key experiments to shape the model.
The First Coworking Spaces Appear
The story starts in the early 2000s. A few independent hubs opened their doors around the same time, each experimenting with the idea of shared work.
In 2002, a hackerspace called C-base opened in Berlin. It was a community lab, not a traditional office. Members shared tools, ideas, and a love for technology. Around the same time, the Hackerspace movement was growing in places like Vienna and New York. These spaces were built on collaboration and open access. They laid the groundwork for what coworking would become.
Then came the official birth. In 2005, Brad Neuberg created a space in San Francisco called the Hat Factory. He called it a coworking space. The name stuck. Neuberg wanted to combine the best parts of working from home with the structure of an office. He offered shared desks, WiFi, and a community of independent workers. It was simple, but it planted the seed for a global movement.
The Name and the Movement
The term “coworking” itself has roots that go back further. In 1999, Bernie DeKoven and Brian DeKoven used the word to describe a way of working that was not tied to a single employer. Their idea was about collaboration and shared goals. It was not about a physical space yet. The word later shifted meaning to describe the shared office model we know today.
Brad Neuberg is often credited with opening the first official coworking space in 2005. He set up a space in San Francisco called the Hat Factory. It offered desks, WiFi, coffee, and something traditional offices lacked: a sense of community. Neuberg wanted to combine the best of working from home with the best of working in an office, without the corporate strings.
The name “coworking” itself came from a desire to describe a new way of working. It was not about sharing an office with strangers. It was about sharing values. Collaboration, openness, community, and sustainability became the pillars of the early movement.
The Early Spark Before the Term Existed
Before the term “coworking” was coined, similar ideas were already floating around. In the 1990s, hackerspaces and collaborative workshops gave people a place to tinker, build, and share tools. These spaces were mostly about projects, not desks. But the spirit was the same. People wanted to work near others, share skills, and avoid the isolation of working alone.
In 1995, a group of hackers in Berlin founded C-base, a nonprofit space for technology enthusiasts. Around the same time, the idea of “hackerspaces” spread through Europe and the United States. These were community operated workshops where people could share equipment and ideas. They were not offices. They were labs, studios, and clubhouses for makers and builders.
The term coworking itself has a longer origin. Bernie DeKoven wrote about “coworking” in his 1999 book about collaborative gaming and group dynamics. He used the word to describe working together in a shared way. That meaning was different from what coworking means today, but it planted the seed. The word came before the movement.
The Birth of the Modern Coworking Space
The first true coworking spaces did not appear out of nowhere. They grew from earlier experiments in shared living and working. Hackerspaces in Berlin and New York, like the infamous C-base in Germany, created communities of makers and coders who shared tools and ideas. These spaces were about collaboration, not just sharing a roof. They proved that strangers could work side by side and create something bigger than themselves.
In 2005, a designer named Brad Neuberg opened a space in San Francisco called 9 to 5 Group. He wanted a place that combined the independence of freelancing with the community of an office. That same year, a group in London created The Hub, a space designed for social entrepreneurs. These two early experiments planted the seeds for a global movement.
The term “coworking” itself was coined by Bernie DeKoven in 1999. He used it to describe a way of working that was not tied to a single company. The idea was simple: people could work together, share skills, and build community without sharing an employer. It took a few years for the physical spaces to catch up with the concept.
From Hackerspaces to the First True Coworking Space
Before coworking became a household word, hackerspaces and other shared workshops laid the groundwork. These were places where tinkerers, coders, and creators shared tools and ideas. The culture of sharing and collaboration was already alive in the 1990s, but the term coworking had not yet entered the mainstream.
The first space to officially use the name was the Hat Factory in San Francisco, which opened in 2005. It offered a shared office environment with a focus on community. Around the same time, a designer named Brad Neuberg created a space called 9 to 5 Group in San Francisco. He wanted the freedom of working from home, but the structure of an office. His experiment combined both. That blend became the blueprint for what we now call coworking.
The term itself, “coworking,” was coined earlier by Bernie DeKoven, who used it to describe a collaborative working method. But the physical spaces we recognize today started appearing in the mid-2000s. The first dedicated coworking space opened in San Francisco in 2005, and the movement spread quickly from there.
The Spark That Started It All
Coworking did not appear out of nowhere. It grew from a simple frustration. Freelancers and remote workers were tired of working alone at home or in noisy coffee shops. They wanted the energy of an office without the rigid structure. They wanted community without the commute.
The term “coworking” itself was coined in 1999 by Bernie DeKoven and Brian DeKoven, who used it to describe a style of work that was collaborative rather than competitive. But the physical space we recognize today came later. In 2005, Brad Neuberg opened a space in San Francisco called the Hat Factory. He offered desks, Wi-Fi, and a shared atmosphere. The idea was simple: independent workers could enjoy the best of both worlds. They kept their freedom, but gained the social and professional benefits of an office.
Neuberg called it coworking. The name stuck. The movement grew.
What Counts as Coworking?
Before we trace the timeline, it helps to define the term. Coworking is not just sharing an office. It is a membership based model where people from different companies or projects share a space, resources, and community. The key ingredient is community. A room full of strangers using the same Wi-Fi is not coworking. A group of freelancers who share a space, host events, and build relationships is.
The word itself first appeared in 1999. Bernie DeKoven coined it while brainstorming a better way for people to work together. But the concept we know today, with open desks, coffee machines, and flexible memberships, took shape a few years later.
The First True Coworking Space
Most historians point to 2005 as the birth year of modern coworking. That is when Brad Neuberg opened a space called 9 to 5 Group in San Francisco. He wanted to combine the independence of freelancing with the community of a traditional office. The name “coworking” came from the idea that people could work side by side without sharing a company. They shared a space, not a boss.
Neuberg did not invent the concept overnight. He drew from earlier experiments like the hackerspaces that had already been popping up in Berlin and other tech hubs. Those spaces were built for collaboration and shared tools. They were not offices. They were clubs for makers, coders, and creators. Neuberg took that spirit and applied it to everyday professionals. His space offered coffee, Wi-Fi, and a shared table. That simple formula caught on.
But the roots go back even further. The real story starts before the term coworking even existed.
The Pre-Internet Seeds of Shared Work
Long before laptops and Wi-Fi, people found ways to share workspace. In the 1960s, artists and designers in New York formed collectives. They shared studios, tools, and ideas. These groups were about community, not just real estate. The term “commune” was common then, but the spirit of shared creation was the same.
By the 1970s and 1980s, the idea of working near others without working for the same company started to take shape. Hackerspaces in places like Berlin and the San Francisco Bay Area became informal hubs. Tech enthusiasts gathered to build, share tools, and trade knowledge. Those spaces were the spiritual ancestors of today’s coworking sites, even if they did not use the name.
In 1995, a group of hackers in Berlin opened C-base, a nonprofit space for tech projects. It was not a coworking space by today’s definition, but it planted a seed. Around the same time, the term “cybercafé” started appearing in cities. People paid by the hour to use a computer and an internet connection. That idea of paying for access to infrastructure, rather than owning it, became a core part of the coworking model.
The Birth of the Term and the First True Spaces
The word “coworking” itself has an interesting origin. In 1999, Bernie DeKoven and Brian DeKoven introduced the term to describe a collaborative way of working. But their version had no building attached. It was about a philosophy, not a desk.
The first actual space came in 2002. A group of freelancers in San Francisco opened a hackerspace called Spiral Muse. It was a community focused space. Around the same time, independent workers were creating shared offices in places like New York and London. These were often called coworking, but the term wasn’t widely used yet.
Then came Brad Neuberg. In 2005, he launched a space in San Francisco called 9 to 5 Group. He combined the independence of freelancing with the community of an office. He called it coworking. That name stuck. Neuberg wanted to solve a simple problem: working from home felt isolating, and coffee shops were noisy and unreliable. He wanted a place with structure, community, and shared values.
The term “coworking” itself had appeared earlier, around 1999, when Bernie DeKoven and Brian DeKoven used it to describe a collaborative work method. But Neuberg gave it a physical home. He gave it a movement. From that point, the idea began to spread across the United States and beyond.
The Prehistory: Before Coworking Had a Name
Coworking did not appear out of thin air. It grew from older ideas about shared work and community. The 1990s saw the rise of hacker spaces and maker culture. These were community operated workshops where people shared tools, skills, and space. Think of places like the Hackerspace in Berlin or the early tech collectives in San Francisco. They were not offices, but they planted the seed.
Around the same time, European “Jugendkultur” centers and artist collectives offered shared studios. Workers, freelancers, and creatives craved connection. The solo home office could feel isolating. The corporate office felt rigid. A middle path was emerging.
In 1995, a group of hackers in Berlin founded C-base, a shared space that many cite as an early model for modern coworking. It was a place for collaboration, tools, and community. It did not yet use the word coworking, but the spirit was there. The idea of sharing a workspace for mutual benefit was taking shape.
The term coworking is born
The word “coworking” itself has a specific origin. It was first used in 1999 by Bernie DeKoven, a game designer and author. He used it to describe a way of working together that was less about competition and more about collaboration. His definition focused on people working in the same space, but not necessarily on the same team. That distinction mattered. It opened the door for freelancers and independent workers to share space without sharing a boss.
Then came Brad Neuberg. In 2005, he launched a space in San Francisco called 9to5. It offered desks, WiFi, and a community vibe for independent workers. Neuberg is widely credited with coining the term coworking as we use it today. He combined the words “cooperation” and “working” to describe a new way to work alone, together.
The Prehistory of Shared Work
Long before the term existed, people found ways to share space and tools. Think of artists’ lofts in New York, hacker collectives in Silicon Valley, and the communal offices of small design firms. These places had the spirit of coworking without the name. They were about proximity, collaboration, and avoiding the isolation of working alone.
In the 1990s, the tech boom pushed the idea of “hot desking.” Offices became less fixed. Workers moved between desks. The concept was practical but not yet community driven. It focused on saving space and money, not on connection. Still, it planted the seed for flexible layouts and shared infrastructure.
Then came the internet. Laptops, Wi-Fi, and mobile phones meant people could work from anywhere. Coffee shops filled with freelancers nursing one latte for hours. The need for a middle ground, a place between home and a traditional office, became obvious. That need eventually sparked the coworking movement.
The Birth of the Term Coworking
The word coworking did not start as a real estate term. It came from collaboration. In 1999, Bernie DeKoven and Brian DeKoven introduced the term “coworking” to describe a way of working together without the constraints of a traditional corporate structure. Their idea focused on the philosophy of collaborative work, not on a physical location.
A few years later, Brad Neuberg gave the concept its modern shape. In 2005, he opened a space in San Francisco called the Hat Factory. He combined the community feel of a hackerspace with the discipline of an office. The goal was simple: freelancers and remote workers needed a place that offered both structure and independence. Neuberg called it “coworking,” and the name stuck.
The first dedicated coworking space, the Spiral Muse in San Francisco, opened in 2006. It was founded by a group of designers and developers who wanted a shared office with a community vibe. Around the same time, Brad Neuberg launched a space called Citizen Space in the same city. These early experiments set the tone for what coworking would become: a blend of collaboration, flexibility, and shared values.
From Hacker Culture to Mainstream Movement
The roots of coworking go deeper than the 2000s. The concept draws from hacker spaces, artist collectives, and the cooperative movement. These communities valued shared tools, mutual support, and open collaboration. They planted the seeds for the modern coworking space.
In the 1990s, a few tech companies experimented with open layouts and shared desks. But the term “coworking” itself did not appear until 1999. Bernie DeKoven, a game designer, used it to describe a style of work that was not tied to a single company. The idea was simple. People could work side by side, share ideas, and stay independent.
The first space to use the name opened in 2005 in San Francisco. It was called the Hat Factory. Brad Neuberg, a software developer, wanted a place that felt like a community but offered the freedom of freelancing. He combined the social energy of a cafe with the structure of an office. That mix became the blueprint for modern coworking.
The Spark That Started It All
Before coworking had a name, people were already sharing desks and wireless internet in cafes and living rooms. The dot-com boom of the late 1990s created a wave of freelancers, contractors, and remote workers. They had laptops, modems, and a desire to escape isolation. But they lacked a dedicated space designed for independent work.
Some early experiments appeared in the 1990s. Hackerspaces in Berlin and San Francisco offered shared tools and a community ethos. The term “coworking” itself was first used in 1999 by Bernie DeKoven, who described a model of collaborative work facilitated by technology. Around the same time, the “42 West 24” loft in New York opened its doors as a shared workspace for freelancers. These were seeds, not a movement.
The real turning point came in 2005. That year, software developer Brad Neuberg launched a space in San Francisco called the Hat Factory. He called it a coworking space. The name stuck. Neuberg wanted an alternative to both the isolation of home offices and the rigidity of corporate life. He offered shared tables, free Wi-Fi, and a community feel. The modern coworking movement was born.
The Birth of a Movement
Before coworking became a global phenomenon, freelancers and remote workers had few good options. They could sit alone at home, camp out in a cafe, or rent a generic office. None of those choices offered community. None of them offered the blend of independence and connection that many independent workers wanted.
The term “coworking” itself had been floating around since the late 1990s. Bernie DeKoven and Brad Neuberg used it to describe a style of working that was collaborative and independent at the same time. In 2005, Neuberg opened a space in San Francisco called the Hat Factory. It was not the first shared office, but it was the first to call itself a coworking space. That moment planted a flag. It gave a name to a movement that was already forming in coffee shops, home offices, and the growing freelance economy.
The first dedicated coworking space opened in 2006 in San Francisco. The Spiral Muse, founded by a group of mothers, offered childcare alongside shared desks. That mix of community and practicality became a blueprint. Soon after, the first official coworking space opened in the Mission District. It focused on collaboration, not just shared Wi-Fi. The term itself had been coined a year earlier by Brad Neuberg, who wanted to combine the best parts of working independently with the structure and community of a traditional office.
The Spark: Why Coworking Was Born
The story starts with a simple frustration. Freelancers and remote workers in the late 1990s and early 2000s faced a lonely choice. They could work from home, isolated and distracted. Or they could rent a traditional office, which felt too rigid and expensive for one person.
Neither option worked well.
A few early experiments planted the seeds. The first known hacker space, C-base in Berlin, opened in 1994. It gave tech enthusiasts a shared place to build and collaborate. Around the same time, a collective called 42 West24 in New York offered a shared workspace for freelancers. These spaces were not called coworking yet, but they carried the same spirit. People wanted the energy of an office without the corporate leash.
The term itself appeared in 1999. Bernie DeKoven, a game designer and facilitator, used the word “coworking” to describe a style of work that was less about location and more about collaboration. But the modern coworking movement, the one with open desks, coffee machines, and community managers, started a few years later.
The First Modern Coworking Space
The first space to officially call itself a coworking space opened its doors in 2005 in San Francisco. It was the Hat Factory, founded by Brad Neuberg. He wanted a place that combined the independence of working from home with the structure and community of an office. His vision was simple: a shared space where freelancers and remote workers could feel less isolated.
The name mattered too. Neuberg deliberately chose the word “coworking” to describe the model. He wanted to emphasize collaboration, not just shared real estate. That small naming choice helped define an entire industry.
Around the same time, other pioneers were experimenting with similar ideas. In 2005, a group of designers and developers in San Francisco started the Spiral Muse. It was a collective workspace with a focus on community. A year later, Brad Neuberg opened the first dedicated coworking space in San Francisco, and the term started to spread.
The Roots of Shared Work
The story starts long before 2005. Shared workspaces existed in different forms for centuries. Artists have shared lofts for generations. Hackers gathered at computer clubs in the 1970s and 1980s. The Homebrew Computer Club, for example, met in garages in Silicon Valley, and its members included Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Those gatherings planted the seeds for the collaborative ethos we see today.
In the 1990s, a few experiments pushed the idea further. In 1995, hackerspaces in Berlin offered shared tools and community for tech enthusiasts. Around the same time, small business incubators and artist collectives were creating shared environments for creative work. These were not yet called coworking, but they laid the groundwork. They proved that people would share space, resources, and ideas if the environment felt right.
The term coworking itself appeared in 1999. Brian DePencier and Bernie DeKoven used it to describe a decentralized way of working, one that was independent of the traditional office. But the real spark came in 2005. That is when Brad Neuberg opened the first official coworking space in San Francisco. He called it the Hat Factory. Neuberg wanted the community of a cafe with the focus of an office. That simple idea caught fire.
The First Coworking Spaces and the Birth of a Name
The movement began small. A few spaces opened in major cities. They offered desks, Wi-Fi, and coffee. But the real product was community. Freelancers and remote workers wanted an alternative to working alone at home or in noisy coffee shops.
The term “coworking” itself had appeared earlier. Bernie DeKoven used it in 1999 to describe a collaborative working method. But the modern meaning, the shared space with a membership, came later. In 2005, Brad Neuberg opened a space in San Francisco called the Hat Factory. He combined the independence of freelancing with the structure of an office. The name he used? Coworking.
That moment planted the seed. From there, the movement grew.
The Spark That Started It All
The story starts with a simple frustration. Freelancers and remote workers in the early 2000s had two choices: work from home, isolated and distracted, or rent a traditional office, expensive and lonely. Neither felt right.
The first recognized coworking space opened in 2005 in San Francisco. It was a small experiment. The idea was modest: create a shared space where independent workers could enjoy the best of both worlds. Community, without the corporate leash. Focus, without the isolation of a home office.
The term “coworking” itself had been around since 1999, coined by Bernie DeKoven and Brian DeKoven. They used it to describe a collaborative working method, not a physical space. The word predates the movement. The movement took the word and gave it a new home.
The Early Days of Shared Workspaces
Long before the term existed, people were already sharing offices. Hacker spaces in the 1990s, like C-base in Berlin, offered communal workbenches for tech enthusiasts. These spaces were not about productivity. They were about community, tinkering, and shared tools.
In 1995, a group of hackers in San Francisco created a collective space where members could work independently while enjoying shared infrastructure. That idea planted a seed. It showed that people could work alone, together, without a traditional boss or corporate office.
The first official coworking space opened in 2005 in San Francisco. It was called the Hat Factory. Brad Neuberg, a software developer, wanted a place that combined the independence of freelancing with the community of a workplace. He rented a space in a building owned by a group called Spiral Muse. He set up desks, shared Wi-Fi, and offered free coffee. The term coworking was used to describe the arrangement, and the modern movement was born.
Neuberg did not invent the concept out of thin air. He drew from hacker spaces, where tinkerers shared tools and ideas. He also borrowed from the collaborative energy of early internet cafes and the DIY ethos of artist collectives. The idea was simple: freelancers did not need to work alone at home. They could share a space, split costs, and enjoy the company of others.
From a Word to a Movement
The word “coworking” itself had appeared earlier. Bernie DeKoven, a game designer and author, used it in his 1999 book about collaborative work. But the movement we know today started in the mid-2000s.
In 2005, Brad Neuberg, a software developer in San Francisco, opened what many consider the first true coworking space. He called it 9to5, and it was a simple idea: offer freelancers a shared office with desks, Wi-Fi, and coffee. Neuberg wanted the energy of a community and the freedom of independent work. The space was open only two days a week at first, but it planted a seed.
Around the same time, other pioneers were testing similar ideas. In London, the Spiral Centre opened its doors in 2005. In San Francisco, the Hat Factory and Citizen Space followed. These early spaces were small, experimental, and driven by a simple belief: working alone at home was isolating, and traditional offices felt rigid and uninspiring.
The word “coworking” itself was first used in this context by Bernie DeKoven in 1999. He described it as working together without the constraints of a traditional office. But the physical model we know today began to take shape in the mid-2000s. The first space to use the term was the Coworking Wiki, launched by Brad Neuberg in 2005. Neuberg wanted a place that combined the independence of freelancing with the community of a workplace. His vision was simple: provide desks, WiFi, coffee, and a shared ethos of collaboration.
The Spark That Started It All
Neuberg opened the first official coworking space in San Francisco. It was small. It was experimental. And it caught on quickly. The idea answered a real problem. Freelancers and remote workers were tired of working from coffee shops or alone at home. They wanted a third place. Not home, not a corporate office, but something in between.
The term “coworking” itself was coined earlier, in 1999, by Bernie DeKoven and Brad Neuberg. DeKoven used it to describe a way of working that was not tied to a specific location. Neuberg later applied it to shared physical spaces. The concept was simple: share an office, share resources, and share the energy of other people. The movement grew because it filled a genuine gap.
The first dedicated coworking space opened in 2005 in San Francisco. It was called the Hat Factory. A small group of freelancers paid a monthly fee to share a loft, desks, and Wi-Fi. The model worked. People craved the structure of an office without the isolation of working from home. They also wanted community, not just a desk.
By 2006, Brad Neuberg had formalized the term “coworking” and opened a space in San Francisco called Citizen Space. It was not just about sharing a room. It was about shared values: collaboration, openness, community, and sustainability. Those values still shape coworking today.
Coworking grew slowly at first. Then it exploded. By the mid 2010s, spaces like WeWork turned the concept into a global brand. The movement shifted from a niche experiment to a mainstream workplace solution. This article traces that journey, from the first hackerspaces to the modern flexible office.
What Exactly Is Coworking?
Coworking is a style of working that brings people from different companies and backgrounds into a shared space. Instead of renting a traditional office, members pay a monthly fee to use a common workspace. They get desks, Wi-Fi, meeting rooms, coffee, and, most importantly, a community of other professionals.
It sounds simple. But the idea took decades to grow into the global movement we see today.
The term “coworking” itself is often traced back to 1999. Bernie DeKoven, a game designer and author, used it to describe a way of working that was collaborative rather than competitive. But the physical spaces we recognize today started appearing a few years later. The first official coworking space opened in 2005 in San Francisco, founded by Brad Neuberg. He wanted a place that combined the independence of working from home with the structure and community of an office. That idea caught on, and the movement spread from there.
The Roots of Shared Work
Long before the word “coworking” existed, people shared workplaces. Think of artist lofts in New York, hacker spaces in Silicon Valley, and the shared offices of small design firms. These places had the same spirit: creative people, open desks, and a sense of community.
In the 1990s, the tech boom changed how people thought about work. Laptops became lighter. Internet connections became faster. Suddenly, work was not a place you went to. It was a thing you did. This shift planted the seeds for what we now call coworking.
The hacker spaces and the dot-com era
Hacker spaces played a big role in the early story. Groups of programmers and tinkerers shared tools, knowledge, and space long before the word coworking existed. They valued openness and collaboration. Those values carried over into the first shared offices.
Around the same time, the dot-com boom made remote work feel possible. People started asking why they needed a cubicle at all. The answer, for many, was a shared table in a cafe or a rented desk in someone else’s office.
The term “coworking” itself first appeared in 1999. Bernie DeKoven and Brian DeKoven used it to describe a model of work that was not tied to a single company. But the movement as we know it took a few more years to take shape.
The First Official Coworking Space
The first space to use the name “coworking” opened in 2005. It was the Hat Factory in San Francisco, founded by Brad Neuberg. Neuberg wanted a place that combined the structure of an office with the freedom of independent work. His idea was simple: offer desks, a community, and shared values to freelancers who were tired of working from home or coffee shops.
The Hat Factory was not a big operation. It was small, experimental, and deeply community focused. Neuberg called it coworking because it was neither telecommuting nor traditional office work. It was something new. A shared space built around collaboration, openness, and the belief that working alone did not mean working in isolation.
That experiment planted a seed. Within a few years, similar spaces appeared in cities across the United States and Europe. The movement grew slowly at first, then all at once.
The Real History of Coworking: How Shared Spaces Became a Global Movement
Coworking did not appear overnight. It grew out of earlier experiments, economic shifts, and a simple truth: working alone can feel lonely, and working in a traditional office can feel rigid. The history of coworking spaces is really a story about how people reimagined the daily grind.
The Roots Before the Name
Long before the term “coworking” existed, people were already sharing workspaces. In the 1960s and 1970s, hackerspaces and artist collectives brought people together around shared tools and ideas. The Homebrew Computer Club in Silicon Valley is one famous example. Hobbyists and engineers met in garages to tinker, share knowledge, and build the personal computer revolution. That spirit of collaboration planted the first seeds.
In the 1990s, European cities experimented with “Jugendherbergen” style shared offices. Berlin saw the rise of the first “computer cafes” where freelancers could plug in and work alongside strangers. These spaces were simple. They offered tables, power outlets, and coffee. But they planted an important idea: work did not have to happen in a corporate office.
The Term “Coworking” Is Born
The word “coworking” was first used in 1999 by Bernie DeKoven, a game designer and author. He used it to describe a way of working that was collaborative and less hierarchical. But his definition was more about the style of work than the physical space.
The physical coworking space we know today appeared in 2005 in San Francisco. A designer and programmer named Brad Neuberg opened a space called 42 West 24. He wanted a place that felt like a home office but offered the community of a cafe. Neuberg called it “coworking” and the name stuck.
The Spiral Muse and the First Real Coworking Space
Before 2005, there were hacker spaces and shared offices. But the term coworking, as we understand it, began with Neuberg. He started with a collective called the Spiral Muse in San Francisco. It was a feminist hacker space. The idea was simple: offer the structure of an office without the corporate feel.
The first official coworking space opened in 2005. It was in San Francisco. Neuberg wanted to combine the best parts of working from home with the best parts of working around others. That blend became the blueprint for thousands of spaces worldwide.
Competitor Research (Gathered: 2026-10-16 05:22)
--- Rank #1 (www.coworker.com) ---
Title: The History of Coworking: How Shared Spaces Became a Global Movement
Meta Description: Learn about the history of coworking, from the 1990s and the first official coworking space to the rise of hybrid work. Discover the origins of coworking spaces.
Headings Structure:
H1: The History of Coworking: How Shared Spaces Became a Global Movement
H2: Introduction
H2: What Is Coworking?
H2: The Origins of Coworking
H3: The Pre-History of Coworking
H3: The First Coworking Space
H3: The Term “Coworking” Is Coined
H3: The First Purpose-Built Coworking Space
H2: The Rise of Coworking in the 2010s
H2: The Global Coworking Movement
H2: The Future of Coworking
H2: Conclusion
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--- Rank #9 (www.yourcoworking.com) ---
Title: The Evolution of Coworking: From Trend to Mainstream
Meta Description: Coworking has evolved from a niche trend to a mainstream solution for professionals. Explore how coworking spaces have transformed the way we work.
Headings Description: The evolution of coworking from niche trend to mainstream solution. Explore the history of coworking spaces, from hacker spaces to global communities, and how flexible offices are shaping the future of work.
Headings Structure:
H1: The Evolution of Coworking: From Trend to Mainstream
H2: What is Coworking?
H2: The First Coworking Spaces
H2: The Growth of Coworking Spaces
H2: Coworking Today
H2: The Future of Coworking
H2: Conclusion
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--- Rank #9 (www.hellobc.com) ---
Title: The History of Coworking Spaces: How Shared Offices Became a Global Movement
Meta Description: Learn about the history of cowor
