diff --git a/components/ws-manager/pkg/manager/status.go b/components/ws-manager/pkg/manager/status.go
index 048f514b2e4998..0cc83b1b3fcddb 100644
--- a/components/ws-manager/pkg/manager/status.go
+++ b/components/ws-manager/pkg/manager/status.go
@@ -453,15 +453,6 @@ func (m *Manager) extractStatusFromPod(result *api.WorkspaceStatus, wso workspac
 				result.Message = fmt.Sprintf("container %s was terminated unexpectedly - workspace is recovering", cs.Name)
 				return nil
 			}
-
-			_, neverWereReady := pod.Annotations[workspaceNeverReadyAnnotation]
-			if neverWereReady && !cs.Ready {
-				// container isn't ready yet (never has been), thus we're still in the creating phase.
-				result.Phase = api.WorkspacePhase_CREATING
-				result.Message = "containers are starting"
-				result.Conditions.PullingImages = api.WorkspaceConditionBool_FALSE
-				return nil
-			}
 		}
 
 		tpe, err := wso.WorkspaceType()
diff --git a/components/ws-manager/pkg/manager/testdata/status_wsstartup_Creating00.golden b/components/ws-manager/pkg/manager/testdata/status_wsstartup_Creating00.golden
index c2f031f8d81735..763623e56e627c 100644
--- a/components/ws-manager/pkg/manager/testdata/status_wsstartup_Creating00.golden
+++ b/components/ws-manager/pkg/manager/testdata/status_wsstartup_Creating00.golden
@@ -14,11 +14,11 @@
             "url": "http://10.0.0.114:8082",
             "ide_image": {}
         },
-        "phase": 2,
+        "phase": 3,
         "conditions": {
             "failed": "container sync completed; containers of a workspace pod are not supposed to do that"
         },
-        "message": "containers are starting",
+        "message": "workspace initializer is running",
         "runtime": {
             "node_name": "gke-gitpod-dev-worker-pool-2-184c607e-g6l3",
             "pod_name": "ws-foobar",