I mostly agree with you. I miss being in the office with my coworkers and I am starting to feel like it is a permanent change for the worse. I would push back

I mostly agree with you. I miss being in the office with my coworkers and I am starting to feel like it is a permanent change for the worse. I would push back on your implication that "lonesome engineers just need to be forced to socialize" because that is not really the point and there is nothing wrong with have the preference and ability to work remotely. I also think you are massively under-appreciating the value add of working in a walkable urban environment. I think we would all agree here that no matter how effective your home office setup is, you are essentially in a "bubble" that insulates you from interaction with the world. Leaving that bubble to commute to a slightly larger office-bubble is very different from leaving it for a good city.