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> There is a reason why companies like Google are doubling down in Silicon Valley real estate. They believe that the best, most innovative type of work are the

> There is a reason why companies like Google are doubling down in Silicon Valley real estate. They believe that the best, most innovative type of work are the results of organic discussions and unscheduled, unplanned, casual human interactions. So many cool ideas and new projects were the results of a casual lunch discussion even just random hallway chats When was the last time you've used a big corp product that sounded like a water-cooler idea? Serendipitous innovation myth doesn't apply for these huge, hard-to-steer, profit-to-assets maximizing, financialized mega corps anymore. Nor creating 10 different messaging apps or torturing decade old products with growth hacking is innovation, it is cancerous growth born out of promotion-hacking. Water cooler schmoozing helps more with building the clout for that promotion than enhancing the productivity of the world. They will make you work from office because they can, because that is easier on the managers and execs. They are doubling down on real estate because they have sunken costs, execs themselves probably have serious personal real estate positions and companies have a sizable chunk of h1b-captive employees that has to stick around anyway. If anything, WFH had a positive impact on cutting through the bullshit. When speaking has more friction, the actual work has to do the talking, and that is a positive thing. You don't have to deeply enact a state of belief in other people's self-importance, as you get to say "oh fuck off" out loud when the meeting is off. Going to the office is like going to the church of whatever objective function a company holds dear. You're surrounded by it for hours, and can't blaspheme around true believers and kool aid drinkers around that water cooler. At home, you're homed in a space that reminds who you are, your ultimate sovereignty and all the objective functions of your life, work being but one.

systemvoltage 5y ago
> They will make you work from office because they can, because that is easier on the managers and execs. I think there are 1980's style regimented companies such as GE, Bayer and IBM that like to monitor their employees. There is a wide range of company cultures, what I call office-barracks; a soulless, unending array of employees with 8 digit ID numbers. Some even get corner offices. And then there are companies where people get together in physical space and kick ass. I think you're not addressing the latter.
timkam 5y ago
Agreed. One (anecdotal) observation I've made is that bullshit meetings are harder to bear and to defend when everyone's online because people can protect themselves. It's easier to not join if nobody can approach you physically. It's easier to disengage. IMHO, if the culture is reasonably good, the organization and most of its employees profit from WFH. But if there are serious culture issues, it's probably really hard to recover.
Cookingboy 5y ago
>They are doubling down on real estate because they have sunken costs, I'm pretty sure a company like Google that has no problem killing unsuccessful products after multi-billion dollar investments, knows how not to fall for the sunken cost fallacy. > execs themselves probably have serious personal real estate positions and As opposed to move to a different state, buy a house 3x the size for the same money, and save 10% on state income tax? Hmm.... >companies have a sizable chunk of h1b-captive employees that has to stick around anyway. The very fact companies sponsors H1b instead of having them working remotely from China or India is precisely because they believe in the value of everyone physically together.
- disgruntledphd2 5y ago
  > I'm pretty sure a company like Google that has no problem killing unsuccessful products after multi-billion dollar investments, knows how not to fall for the sunken cost fallacy. You're making the assumption that people behave rationally. In actuality, rationality takes effort and as such, is rarely used. We are irrational beings who are capable of rational thought, that doesn't mean that we always do. Additionally, as you go up the hierarchy, people disagree with you less and less, which means that you start thinking that your ideas are better than they are. Like, I fundamentally believe that pushing employees back to the office is not going to work out well for many companies, but they'll do it for emotional reasons rather than rational. (And I say this as someone who misses the office).
  - Cookingboy 5y ago
    >You're making the assumption that people behave rationally. What? No, my original post was completely about how people don't act rationally, and that's why WFH will not be as amazing despite it can be more product in many cases.
- acituan 5y ago
  > I'm pretty sure a company like Google that has no problem killing unsuccessful products after multi-billion dollar investments, knows how not to fall for the sunken cost fallacy. Deadweight products vs appreciable assets are not the same thing. Not only they would have to justify throwing away their future returns on appreciation, if the word got out that any of the FAANG is liquidating tiniest bit of their real estate a panic pricing could erase a lot more. This is much harder to reconcile with fiduciary duty than “well, that deadweight product was costing us money with little in return so we’ll kill it”.
commandlinefan 5y ago
> > They believe that the best, most innovative type of work are the results of organic discussions and unscheduled, unplanned, casual human interactions > When was the last time you've used a big corp product that sounded like a water-cooler idea? Just because something doesn't work doesn't mean MBAs don't keep insisting that it does.

systemvoltage 5y ago

> They will make you work from office because they can, because that is easier on the managers and execs. I think there are 1980's style regimented companies such as GE, Bayer and IBM that like to monitor their employees. There is a wide range of company cultures, what I call office-barracks; a soulless, unending array of employees with 8 digit ID numbers. Some even get corner offices. And then there are companies where people get together in physical space and kick ass. I think you're not addressing the latter.

timkam 5y ago

Agreed. One (anecdotal) observation I've made is that bullshit meetings are harder to bear and to defend when everyone's online because people can protect themselves. It's easier to not join if nobody can approach you physically. It's easier to disengage. IMHO, if the culture is reasonably good, the organization and most of its employees profit from WFH. But if there are serious culture issues, it's probably really hard to recover.

Cookingboy 5y ago

>They are doubling down on real estate because they have sunken costs, I'm pretty sure a company like Google that has no problem killing unsuccessful products after multi-billion dollar investments, knows how not to fall for the sunken cost fallacy. > execs themselves probably have serious personal real estate positions and As opposed to move to a different state, buy a house 3x the size for the same money, and save 10% on state income tax? Hmm.... >companies have a sizable chunk of h1b-captive employees that has to stick around anyway. The very fact companies sponsors H1b instead of having them working remotely from China or India is precisely because they believe in the value of everyone physically together.

disgruntledphd2 5y ago
> I'm pretty sure a company like Google that has no problem killing unsuccessful products after multi-billion dollar investments, knows how not to fall for the sunken cost fallacy. You're making the assumption that people behave rationally. In actuality, rationality takes effort and as such, is rarely used. We are irrational beings who are capable of rational thought, that doesn't mean that we always do. Additionally, as you go up the hierarchy, people disagree with you less and less, which means that you start thinking that your ideas are better than they are. Like, I fundamentally believe that pushing employees back to the office is not going to work out well for many companies, but they'll do it for emotional reasons rather than rational. (And I say this as someone who misses the office).
- Cookingboy 5y ago
  >You're making the assumption that people behave rationally. What? No, my original post was completely about how people don't act rationally, and that's why WFH will not be as amazing despite it can be more product in many cases.
acituan 5y ago
> I'm pretty sure a company like Google that has no problem killing unsuccessful products after multi-billion dollar investments, knows how not to fall for the sunken cost fallacy. Deadweight products vs appreciable assets are not the same thing. Not only they would have to justify throwing away their future returns on appreciation, if the word got out that any of the FAANG is liquidating tiniest bit of their real estate a panic pricing could erase a lot more. This is much harder to reconcile with fiduciary duty than “well, that deadweight product was costing us money with little in return so we’ll kill it”.

commandlinefan 5y ago

> > They believe that the best, most innovative type of work are the results of organic discussions and unscheduled, unplanned, casual human interactions > When was the last time you've used a big corp product that sounded like a water-cooler idea? Just because something doesn't work doesn't mean MBAs don't keep insisting that it does.