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> Are there places out there for weirdos like me? I think the discourse is heavily biased towards pro-remote. We've been working from offices for years, so the

by alecbz 5y ago

> Are there places out there for weirdos like me? I think the discourse is heavily biased towards pro-remote. We've been working from offices for years, so the pro-remote crowd has been vocal for a while, whereas most pro-office people are only just beginning to realize that they even prefer an office, let alone how much. But so basically I think it's a completely false notion that preferring remote work is the norm. That sense comes purely from noticing percent of talking. FWIW I'd generally described myself as pretty introverted, in the sense of finding that social interaction is draining, but I'm considering moving across the country to be closer to my teammates.

caffeine 5y ago
It’s fun to sit in the same room/office and brainstorm and actually build something together. Gives that sense of camaraderie, we’re-in-this-together feeling, if it’s with the right people. I also think it’s about 20x more productive if in a high-stakes, high-uncertainty regime. But the median remote work is probably better than the median in person work, even if the very best work is in person. Try to imagine starting SpaceX or Apple as a remote company… I think that kind of magic just wouldn’t happen.
- alecbz 5y ago
  > the median remote work is probably better than the median in person work What makes you say that?
  - caffeine 5y ago
    I guess a lot of office environments kinda suck (noisy, lots of Slack and Jira and Zoom even though you are sitting right there, distractions, lukewarm small talk, etc), so if you are remote you can set up a good environment that is better. But the best offices/teams are awesome, and you can’t replicate that remotely. I worked on a team like this once, you get that platoon-in-a-foxhole, us-vs-world vibe, people are pushing hard to make the team and mission succeed, there are always interesting debates going on, the team is going out together as a crew after work, or on trips etc. It’s awesome but it doesn’t last forever, and it’s hard to find. But I think on a team like that you accomplish 10x, and you also grow as a person and become much smarter.

by alecbz 5y ago

caffeine 5y ago

It’s fun to sit in the same room/office and brainstorm and actually build something together. Gives that sense of camaraderie, we’re-in-this-together feeling, if it’s with the right people. I also think it’s about 20x more productive if in a high-stakes, high-uncertainty regime. But the median remote work is probably better than the median in person work, even if the very best work is in person. Try to imagine starting SpaceX or Apple as a remote company… I think that kind of magic just wouldn’t happen.

alecbz 5y ago
> the median remote work is probably better than the median in person work What makes you say that?
- caffeine 5y ago
  I guess a lot of office environments kinda suck (noisy, lots of Slack and Jira and Zoom even though you are sitting right there, distractions, lukewarm small talk, etc), so if you are remote you can set up a good environment that is better. But the best offices/teams are awesome, and you can’t replicate that remotely. I worked on a team like this once, you get that platoon-in-a-foxhole, us-vs-world vibe, people are pushing hard to make the team and mission succeed, there are always interesting debates going on, the team is going out together as a crew after work, or on trips etc. It’s awesome but it doesn’t last forever, and it’s hard to find. But I think on a team like that you accomplish 10x, and you also grow as a person and become much smarter.