3 ms·

As a former Dropbox employee, I find this wryly amusing. I remember attending a company-wide all hands in 2016 or so where someone asked about having a satellit

As a former Dropbox employee, I find this wryly amusing. I remember attending a company-wide all hands in 2016 or so where someone asked about having a satellite office in the South San Francisco Bay (the company HQ was in San Francisco at the time). The very paternalistic answer was that work was better when everyone was in the same office. This was also at a time when we had "No Meeting Wednesdays" but were strongly told this shouldn't be taken as "WFH Wednesdays". I actually very much enjoyed working from the Dropbox office on Brannan st. I thought it was a well-designed space (for open plan), good for team cohesion, and the Tuckshop was out of this world. I didn't like my commute, though, which was way too long at an hour each way and ultimately was a significant contributor to my leaving. Ah well. I'm glad there are options out there. Personally, I know I want to work from an office with a short commute.

ckastner 3y ago
> I remember attending a company-wide all hands in 2016 Times change, though. A lot of companies back then thought remote work would negatively impact productivity. Then Covid happened, and mandatory remote work demonstrated that it actually can work (for the right company, etc.).
faeriechangling 3y ago
>This was also at a time when we had "No Meeting Wednesdays" but were strongly told this shouldn't be taken as "WFH Wednesdays". Got to love performative work
mock-possum 3y ago
You had a two hour daily commute?? Jesus. That’s crazy.
- nickm12 3y ago
  Yes. It was probably a little more. 10 minutes driving, 45 minutes train, 10 minutes walking each way. I could use the train time for other things but it was very crowded in those days and often standing room only. It was too long, even if you like working co-located.
- adl 3y ago
  That seems pretty normal in a Big City with lots of traffic.
vogt 3y ago
That sounds cool. I'm glad you remember it fondly - not to gripe among the privileged, but I have never worked in a cool office like that. With all of the endlessly discussed disadvantages and implications (maybe the employer is doing it so you're secretly expected to be there absurd hours, whatever, I don't know), I do always wonder what it would have been like to have spent some of my career anywhere besides my house and a building out of "Office Space". At this phase, to your point, it's the commute for me. 15-20 sounds perfect, I can't do 1 hour anymore. Worst commute I ever had was fresh out of school, I worked briefly as a contractor at SimpliSafe when they were 6 people in an office. I would walk a mile from my apartment in Attleboro, MA to the MBTA commuter rail station, 45 minutes into South Station, change to the green line, change to the red line at Park St, 20-30minutes to Inman Square, then walk another, I don't know. 20 minutes? So, depending on the day - which trains I caught, how congested the T was, somewhere in the neighborhood of 1h45m - 2h15m, one way? In January in Cambridge MA - yeesh! On some level I regret not sticking around, I didn't last long and boy did they blow up. I probably would have died on that commute at some point from a heart attack at 22, though.
- nickm12 3y ago
  Oof. Yeah, I've done a lot of different styles of commutes (walk, bike, public transit, drive) over the years. My favorite is something that is ~20 minutes door to door involving physical activity (walking or biking). It does help tremendously if you can be flexible about when you arrive/leave as well. Weather is also a concern—I did do a 25 minute walking commute in Boston but it could be a problem with snow and rain.

ckastner 3y ago

> I remember attending a company-wide all hands in 2016 Times change, though. A lot of companies back then thought remote work would negatively impact productivity. Then Covid happened, and mandatory remote work demonstrated that it actually can work (for the right company, etc.).

faeriechangling 3y ago

>This was also at a time when we had "No Meeting Wednesdays" but were strongly told this shouldn't be taken as "WFH Wednesdays". Got to love performative work

mock-possum 3y ago

You had a two hour daily commute?? Jesus. That’s crazy.

nickm12 3y ago
Yes. It was probably a little more. 10 minutes driving, 45 minutes train, 10 minutes walking each way. I could use the train time for other things but it was very crowded in those days and often standing room only. It was too long, even if you like working co-located.
adl 3y ago
That seems pretty normal in a Big City with lots of traffic.

vogt 3y ago

That sounds cool. I'm glad you remember it fondly - not to gripe among the privileged, but I have never worked in a cool office like that. With all of the endlessly discussed disadvantages and implications (maybe the employer is doing it so you're secretly expected to be there absurd hours, whatever, I don't know), I do always wonder what it would have been like to have spent some of my career anywhere besides my house and a building out of "Office Space". At this phase, to your point, it's the commute for me. 15-20 sounds perfect, I can't do 1 hour anymore. Worst commute I ever had was fresh out of school, I worked briefly as a contractor at SimpliSafe when they were 6 people in an office. I would walk a mile from my apartment in Attleboro, MA to the MBTA commuter rail station, 45 minutes into South Station, change to the green line, change to the red line at Park St, 20-30minutes to Inman Square, then walk another, I don't know. 20 minutes? So, depending on the day - which trains I caught, how congested the T was, somewhere in the neighborhood of 1h45m - 2h15m, one way? In January in Cambridge MA - yeesh! On some level I regret not sticking around, I didn't last long and boy did they blow up. I probably would have died on that commute at some point from a heart attack at 22, though.

nickm12 3y ago
Oof. Yeah, I've done a lot of different styles of commutes (walk, bike, public transit, drive) over the years. My favorite is something that is ~20 minutes door to door involving physical activity (walking or biking). It does help tremendously if you can be flexible about when you arrive/leave as well. Weather is also a concern—I did do a 25 minute walking commute in Boston but it could be a problem with snow and rain.