Startups Are Flooding Into Hudson Yards' Half-Empty Towers
Discounted sublets in the far West Side megaproject have become an unlikely magnet for young companies priced out of Midtown.
When Hudson Yards opened, its glass towers were pitched to blue-chip banks and law firms. In 2026, a different tenant is moving in: the startup priced out of everywhere else.
A wave of subleases has pushed effective rents in the complex well below their headline numbers, and young companies have pounced. The fictional logistics platform Dockline recently took two floors previously occupied by a hedge fund, keeping the marble lobby and skipping the eight-figure fit-out.
Brokers say the trend is reshaping the West Side's tenant mix, blending finance veterans with software teams in hoodies. Whether the discounts last is another question — but for founders, a river-view office at a neighborhood price is too good to pass up.
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