The young and less well off can just move back in with their parents. Most engineers I know come from relative wealth (parents are lawyers/real estate investors

The young and less well off can just move back in with their parents. Most engineers I know come from relative wealth (parents are lawyers/real estate investors/company owners), so a lot of my peers are doing exactly that. I think it's mostly HackerNews types who believe that losing free meal service and providing their employer with free office space makes them truly free.