As a person who has successfully worked from home for six years alternating between management and software engineering, this brand of nonsense and hypocrisy really bugs me. I take pride in my hard work, empower my team and yes, I feel “a part of something” while doing my job remotely. Some people desire an office environment. That’s great! Don’t impose that preference on those of us whose effectiveness does not require it. There’s no hard data that conclusively proves one way is better than the other. If Gladwell cares so much about my showing up to an office, I invite him to pick my kids up from preschool when there’s a COVID closure and open the door when my oldest gets home from school.
And there's a ton of hard data showing that the executive-favored open office plans massively distract tech workers and hinder productivity, yet a decade later they keep on building them.
