Audrey Gelman Steps Down As CEO Of The Wing After Facing Criticism From Employees

by Stephanie Maida · June 11, 2020

Audrey Gelman, former political power player and the real-life inspiration for Marnie on Girls, announced today that she would be resigning from her role as CEO of The Wing. The women's-only co-working space, which she founded in 2016 alongside Lauren Kassan, has come under fire this week as past and former employees revealed not only a lack of diversity in leadership, but also toxic treatment of Black and POC team members.

In a company-wide email sent on Thursday and obtained by reporter Kara Swisher, Gelman said her decision was "the right thing for the business, and the best way to bring The Wing along into a long overdue era of change."

Looks like @audreygelman is out at @the_wing. Just was sent this email by an insider. pic.twitter.com/UChOpmNStd
— Kara Swisher (@karaswisher) June 11, 2020

However, the move isn't enough for some vocal employees of The Wing, including Brand Director Alex Covington, who shared on social media that "The Wing doesn't practice the intersectional feminism that it preaches," and that she and her colleagues have "made a list of demands in order to correct this egregious fact" and are participating in a digital walkout in solidarity with their Black and brown co-workers.