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IMO Drew Houston's quote in the article really hit the nail on the head: "They keep hitting the go-back-to-2019 button, and it’s clear it’s not working." I per

IMO Drew Houston's quote in the article really hit the nail on the head: "They keep hitting the go-back-to-2019 button, and it’s clear it’s not working." I personally am sympathetic to the idea that most people are more engaged and more productive when they are working together, in person. While I certainly don't miss the commute or office politics, I do miss seeing colleagues in person, and I felt I would often learn things faster when it was easier to have impromptu discussions with others. I also just kinda felt like I cared more. But the point is, while I sometimes wish I could hit the "return to 2019 button", that world simply does not exist anymore, and it never will. Like some of the comments here point out very well, I know lots of folks who have been forced into RTO, and then just spend the majority of their time in the office on Zoom calls because many colleagues are still remote - the whole thing is nuts. Enlightened management just needs to realize that as much as they may want to "wave that magic want", it ain't gonna happen. The world has changed, and it's much better to accept the reality of remote work than pretend you can do a "Superman spin the world backwards" trick. At the same time, I think employees should realize the risks with remote work - after nearly a quarter century in this business I've finally seen a real explosion of off shoring since the pandemic, and I think it (obviously among many other factors) is having a real downward pressure on software engineering salaries in the US.

IshKebab 2y ago
> downward pressure on software engineering salaries in the US And hopefully an upward pressure elsewhere! I think it's not too bleak for you guys tbh - a lot of remote US jobs aren't really available to most of the world because they have timezone restrictions. You'd just better hope South America doesn't get its shit together!
- hn_throwaway_99 2y ago
  I think South (and Central) America kinda has gotten its shit together though. I've personally worked with great devs from Costa Rica and Argentina. Lots more offshoring to Eastern Europe as well because there are still a good couple hours of overlap during the business day where it's easy to communicate.
  - scruple 2y ago
    Agreed. I spent nearly a decade working with a group out of Argentina and they were very, very good. Not just at the software specifically but also they understood the culture and could "play the game," as it were. That group has only grown since I first encountered them back in 2012. Back then, it was a 5 or 6 people, today it's 50 or 60. And they're great people, too. I've got some old comments on HN referencing a couple of these people. They're outstanding. One of them specifically is a dear friend and he attended my wedding and I attended his. I've helped him with bank accounts and stock accounts in the US (through lawyers, of course), etc. I think Latin and South Americans have a very bright future with software via US corporations and, from what I've seen, they deserve it. What you don't see in my comment is my absolutely horrendous experiences with 5 different countries that are abysmal places to outsource to.

IshKebab 2y ago

> downward pressure on software engineering salaries in the US And hopefully an upward pressure elsewhere! I think it's not too bleak for you guys tbh - a lot of remote US jobs aren't really available to most of the world because they have timezone restrictions. You'd just better hope South America doesn't get its shit together!

hn_throwaway_99 2y ago
I think South (and Central) America kinda has gotten its shit together though. I've personally worked with great devs from Costa Rica and Argentina. Lots more offshoring to Eastern Europe as well because there are still a good couple hours of overlap during the business day where it's easy to communicate.
- scruple 2y ago
  Agreed. I spent nearly a decade working with a group out of Argentina and they were very, very good. Not just at the software specifically but also they understood the culture and could "play the game," as it were. That group has only grown since I first encountered them back in 2012. Back then, it was a 5 or 6 people, today it's 50 or 60. And they're great people, too. I've got some old comments on HN referencing a couple of these people. They're outstanding. One of them specifically is a dear friend and he attended my wedding and I attended his. I've helped him with bank accounts and stock accounts in the US (through lawyers, of course), etc. I think Latin and South Americans have a very bright future with software via US corporations and, from what I've seen, they deserve it. What you don't see in my comment is my absolutely horrendous experiences with 5 different countries that are abysmal places to outsource to.