Audrey Gelman is a notable figure in the world of entrepreneurship and women’s social spaces, best known as the co-founder and former CEO of The Wing, a network of work and community spaces designed for women. Launched in 2016, The Wing was born out of Gelman’s vision to create a sanctuary that fosters collaboration, creativity, and networking among women. Under her leadership, The Wing quickly expanded beyond its original New York City location to several other cities, offering its members beautiful, functional spaces equipped with amenities and programming aimed at empowering women both professionally and personally.
Gelman’s innovative approach to female-centric spaces garnered significant attention and acclaim, positioning her as a pioneering force in creating inclusive environments that promote women’s success. Her work with The Wing has not only challenged traditional norms around workspaces but also sparked conversations about gender equity, community, and the importance of safe, supportive environments for women. In 2020, she had to step down after being embroiled in a controversy about employee discrimination and poor company culture.
Source 1: https://nypost.com/2021/07/19/woke-women-are-ditching-the-wing-for-workspace-alternatives/ 
I find Audrey Gelman’s apology insincere, especially considering my past membership at The Wing.” The impact on women of color and marginalized communities cannot be undone with just a statement.
A male candidate initiates legal proceedings against The Wing on grounds of gender-based discrimination after denial of admission. Superb!
The Wing’s performative allyship with the Black Lives Matter movement is a sick joke.
It’s ironic how The Wing, a company that capitalizes on female empowerment, mistreats its own employees. Such hypocrisy!
Yeah, it’s really disappointing. They had so much potential, but it seems they couldn’t follow through on their promises.
So they shut down their spaces and stopped paying dues but still couldn’t handle their money?” Very old. Gelman and Kassan’s Medium post is just an effort to wash their hands of things. They should have known this was going to happen and taken action to stop it.
What’s going to happen with The Wing now?” I don’t think this won’t have a long-term effect on their image and finances, what with the internal problems and the CEO stepping down. It might be time to leave the ship before it goes down. No one knows what the future holds.
Get rid of it! The Wing needed new leaders to figure out how to handle its problems properly. Hopefully, they’ll hire someone who can really make the place welcoming for everyone.
Her departure was long overdue. The Wing needed a shake-up in leadership.
Let us discuss racism in the workplace! It is time to bring to light the discrimination that many employees suffer daily.
Like The Wing, I hope Gelman’s new business fails. Since she was mean to her staff, she doesn’t deserve to be successful.
The situation in question highlights the performative activism prevalent in corporate America. Labeling something as intersectional feminism requires more than just a superficial application. The leadership of The Wing did not succeed in establishing an environment that genuinely reflects the values they profess to uphold.
What is an “important resource”?” It’s more like a ship going down. The Wing’s leaders did a terrible job of taking care of their workers and members. It would be better if they said sorry instead of trying to make this mess look like a deliberate move.
I’ve never really liked the way The Wing does business. The irony is that they’ve let down their own employees in so many ways for a place that’s all about giving women power. It’s not enough to have stylish spaces; you have to live by what you teach. The culture is toxic.
The Wing, the popular co-working space for women, closed with an emotional email. Even though they reopened six sites a little over a year ago, the pandemic has made things impossible for them. Members, you can no longer view this page. The end of an era. To become a member, you have to pay $2,950 a year to live in the trendy colorful paradise! They tried many things to get more people to sign up, even shuffling CEOs around like a deck of cards!
It’s funny that this tweet said that. “Thinking again about how to meet their needs”? Our workers are being thrown overboard while we try to save what’s left of our sinking ship. How disgusting!
Audrey Gelman’s resignation from The Wing is just the beginning of a larger issue. The company still has significant challenges to overcome in dealing with its systemic problems.
I’m very upset to hear about these things happening at our company. There is no room for racism here. Our goal is to create a society of equality and respect. Let’s do better as a team.
Could someone send me a link to further information about what she did? I see retweets and posts from both current and previous employees, but no information. Just a few months ago, some of the same employees who are now speaking out defended Audrey from criticism and praised her op-ed. What has changed?
It’s frustrating that celebrities such as Serena Williams and Kerry Washington still back The Wing despite its history of discrimination and mistreatment. It appears that money speaks louder than principles.
It’s sad to see how employee mistreatment can tarnish even the most promising ventures. Audrey Gelman’s legacy is definitely going to be marred by this.
This is so offensive to everyone, but it’s also so funny!
Accounts from former workers paint a very bad picture of The Wing as a place where racism and trauma thrive.
Her behavior seems questionable, but it makes me wonder if she viewed this as a more convenient solution rather than acknowledging the lack of prospects for her company. The individuals taking over will have a challenging task ahead to maintain its financial stability, especially since collaborative workspaces are no longer desirable.
Look who finally decides to take responsibility for the damage they caused! Audrey Gelman, your rise through the company came at the cost of the pride of your workers. When their pain threatened your bottom line, you turned a blind eye to it. Your apology smells fake and is just another attempt to fix your image. We can see through your act. “#ToxicLegacy #HollowApologies”
I complained about racism at work and was later fired.
At work, I’ve personally witnessed criticism and discrimination. It is stressful to continually prove myself due to my skin color.
For the most part, I just learned to deal with it. I can’t change it, so why let it bother me?
It makes me sad that Gelman was mean to her workers. Someone who said they were a female leader shouldn’t act that way. We hope they find better chances somewhere else.
I think “privileged” every time I see her face because she does look privileged.
That the Wing won’t post jobs like “cleaning toilets” or “tidying up after events” is ridiculous. Elitism and a lack of connection to reality are clear. Audrey Gelman and her friends may not have had to do such boring jobs because they were rich. However, it is rude to think that an office woman wouldn’t do the cleaning. There is work that needs to be done that keep the Wing’s areas running smoothly.
Audrey Gelman’s apology seems insincere and merely for show. The lack of a safe and inclusive environment for all employees at The Wing reflects a significant absence of integrity and leadership.
This statement smells like it’s not true. What about “meeting the needs” of their own employees? They say they’ll take care of the needs of women. They didn’t help them during an outbreak! The chiefs of the Wing should feel bad about what they did.
For $133,000 in past-due rent and related costs at the Bryant Park property, Thor Equities is suing The Wing.
It’s about time she quit. The Wing has been getting bad press for a while now, and it was clear that her direction wasn’t helping. I hope this makes things better for the company.
The leaders of The Wing can’t keep ignoring the opinions of their workers, especially those who have been pushed to the edges of the company and told they can’t say anything. There’s more at stake than just office politics here. It’s about upholding basic working values like fairness, respect, and dignity.
Another business shake-up that tries to hide how bad they are at their job? The “Office of the CEO”? It’s more like the office of excuses and moving blame! Gelman’s leaving is just the tip of the bad management iceberg.
The racism at work has become unbearable for me. It seems like I face bullying no matter where I work… I’m feeling down. I feel completely unprotected… Expressing my thoughts will only lead to further complications.
An escalating legal battle has been initiated by landlords suing The Wing’s former Soho location for millions of late rent.
I am very disappointed as a woman of color with The Wing’s failure to fulfill its promises of inclusivity and empowerment. The apology does not fully tackle the systemic problems affecting the company.
Gelman started this business in 2016, and now she’s walking away like it’s a brave thing to do to make things better. Thank you. The Wing is young, but that doesn’t mean it’s okay to be so messy. Stop making empty promises and false claims. We need to do something, not just talk about it.
As a member, I’m really thinking about whether or not to support this.” It’s sad to see that a place you thought was a force for good is getting into trouble like this. How a company treats its workers says a lot about what it stands for. #disappointedmember”
IWG has big news! The Wing may be shutting down.
and then??? Racists are still around. What should we do?
The legal actions brought against Audrey Gelman give rise to numerous inquiries. By whom would they be cleared? Where is she? Is she hiding?
Audrey Gelman’s apology seems empty and lacking in sincerity. It’s easy for her to acknowledge her mistakes now that she’s not in charge anymore, but why didn’t she take responsibility when she was creating a negative work environment? The lack of action taken by The Wing to address racism and discrimination within its organization is shocking. Apologies are not sufficient; what’s required are tangible actions to make amends for the harm caused to employees.
The prevalence of white privilege and power trips being not only accepted but also rewarded at The Wing is truly disheartening. This apology barely addresses the underlying problems within the company.
The Wing’s focus on affluent white members over its employees reveals its skewed priorities. This apology comes across as insufficient and untimely.
Not a blame game Audrey made The Wing a dangerous place to be.
Thor Equities initiates a lawsuit, arguing over unpaid rent and fees. She is also a fraud? 😡
Totally agree. The Wing’s collapse isn’t just about them—it’s a wakeup call for startups everywhere.
The deliberate delays and bad handling of the Employee Relief Fund, especially for black and brown workers, show that The Wing doesn’t care about the problems of its most vulnerable employees. It shows the worst kind of business greed.
She is awful. And most likely a nasty one.! 🤬
Audrey Gelman finally saw that she wasn’t ready to be in charge of The Wing. Giving up her job is only the beginning, though. To get people to trust the company again, it needs to make some big changes.
There’s a lot of talk about being open and giving people power, but behind closed doors, we see the exact opposite.” Where is the help for ALL women? Not just the ones that match a scene or setting. This is a failure at diversity.
To be honest, this retirement feels like locking the barn door after the horse has already escaped. The leaders should have dealt with these problems straight on a lot sooner. Too little, too late is the case here.
Whatever the reason, there is likely cause for concern when it comes to gender discrimination.
Ha ha, Racism at work is a good way to find people who are seriously lacking in knowledge. “You speak eloquently.” “You don’t conform to stereotypes.” “I have a strong cultural identity, I embrace it fully!”
The Wing, a firm founded by Audrey Gelman, encountered financial difficulties in meeting the many obligations associated with its Manhattan lease, such as rent, tax payments, and electricity bills.
The Wing’s leadership has fueled a culture of prejudice in which black and brown employees are considered throwaway commodities.
Great, something will change!
Gender bias is a disgraceful phenomenon. How did she do that?
Oh, that’s wonderful! The landlord of The Wing’s original location in Flatiron is getting ready to file a lawsuit.
Landlord suing Audrey Gelman for unpaid rent of $1.7 million?
It was shown that Audrey Gelman had mistreated her employees, especially those of color. What a shame! She must be punished!
Audrey Gelman must provide a public apology for her behavior. horrible!
That is absurd. Audrey Gelman is connected to numerous lawsuits! Shameful!
What particular negative effects have happened? Has the area been shrunk? Were black people able to live, work, and travel freely?
According to Audrey Gelman, The Wing a representation of girl boss feminism is about to close its six remaining locations
The Wing’s downfall is a stark reminder that flashy branding and a superficial commitment to feminism don’t make up for toxic workplace culture and discrimination. Audrey Gelman should take real accountability for the harm caused under her leadership.
Audrey Gelman’s apology feels like too little, too late.
It’s disheartening to see a company that claimed to champion women’s empowerment fail so miserably in practice. Audrey Gelman’s actions speak louder than her words of apology.
The Wing’s closure reflects a broader issue of companies exploiting feminist ideals for profit without truly embodying those values in their operations. Audrey Gelman’s departure is a necessary step, but it doesn’t erase the harm done to employees and members.
Audrey Gelman’s resignation was inevitable given the circumstances.
The Wing’s closure is a blow to those who believed in its mission.
As a former member, I’m deeply disappointed in how The Wing’s leadership handled internal issues. It’s a shame to see such a promising concept tarnished by hypocrisy and mistreatment.
Audrey Gelman’s handling of the situation has been disappointing, to say the least.
The Wing’s closure underscores the importance of addressing systemic issues.
Audrey Gelman’s actions have undermined the credibility of The Wing’s mission.
The Wing’s closure is a reminder that actions speak louder than words.
Audrey Gelman’s legacy will forever be marred by her failure to address the toxic culture within The Wing. True empowerment requires more than just pretty spaces; it demands genuine care for all members and employees.
The Wing’s collapse serves as a cautionary tale for businesses that prioritize optics over ethics. Audrey Gelman’s resignation is a necessary but insufficient step towards accountability and rectifying the harm caused.
Audrey Gelman’s resignation is a necessary but insufficient step towards accountability and rectifying the harm caused.
It’s troubling how The Wing’s leadership failed to uphold the values they purported to champion. Audrey Gelman’s departure is just the first step in rebuilding trust and addressing the systemic issues within the organization.
The Wing’s downfall is a case study in corporate hypocrisy.
The Wing’s closure is a loss for women seeking supportive work environments.
The Wing’s closure is a loss for the community it served.
Audrey Gelman’s departure signals a reckoning for The Wing’s leadership.
You know, The Wing’s downfall really drives home the importance of walking the walk when it comes to diversity and inclusion. Audrey Gelman stepping down is a step, but there’s still a lot more to be done.
Audrey Gelman definitely dropped the ball on leadership. It’s going to take a lot to repair the damage.
It’s a real shame to see a place like The Wing go. It meant a lot to the community it served.
The Wing’s closure is a stark reminder of what happens when profit becomes the priority over values. Gelman’s resignation was inevitable given the circumstances.