>It turns out that even relatively motivated PhD students actually need in-person accountability and direction, or they just spin their wheels at best, or goof

>It turns out that even relatively motivated PhD students actually need in-person accountability and direction, or they just spin their wheels at best, or goof off at worst. You don’t have the data to shows that in-person is necessary. And there are plenty of remote-only companies that make it work. It sounds like you’ve decided that there can only be one possible solution and then given up. That kind of thinking might explain a whole lot about the situation.