The war on remote work has nothing to do with productivity

Real Estate & “Elites” Thesis

• Many commenters doubt that a unified class of “elites” is orchestrating RTO to save commercial real estate.
• Critics say the article never clearly connects landlords’ incentives to the actual decision‑makers issuing RTO mandates, especially when most firms lease rather than own space.
• Others argue incentives do line up: executives, asset managers, pensions, REITs, banks, and city governments are all heavily exposed to commercial real estate and urban cores.
• Some point to specific real estate lobby groups and finance leaders publicly supporting RTO, but hard evidence of a coordinated anti‑remote campaign is seen as limited or unclear.

Alternative Explanations for RTO

• Soft layoffs / attrition: RTO is described as a deniable way to shrink headcount and avoid explicit layoffs, especially at large tech firms.
• Control and psychology: managers lose “butt‑in‑chair” visibility, soft power, and in‑person authority; some leaders reportedly miss the captive audience and social cues.
• Habit and culture: current leadership rose in office‑centric environments and often believes in‑person work is inherently better for mentoring, collaboration, or maintaining hierarchy.
• Tax and political pressure: cities that subsidized campuses want workers back to support local economies; some speculate they lean on employers.

Productivity, Accountability, and Overemployment

• Experiences conflict: some see remote teams as equally or more productive, especially self‑motivated workers; others claim “most people” do far less at home or juggle multiple jobs.
• Office days are often described as socially busy and low‑output; home days as quieter and more focused.
• Lack of accountability and “overemployment” (multiple full‑time remote jobs) are cited as real concerns by some, dismissed as overblown or symptomatic of bad management by others.

Economic & Social Spillovers

• Beyond office towers, commenters highlight commuting‑driven demand for fuel, cars, restaurants, retail, and city tax bases.
• There is concern about underwater office mortgages and knock‑on effects in financial markets, though how much this actually drives RTO decisions is contested.

Worker Power, Preferences, and Culture

• Many workers strongly value WFH for quality of life, focus (including for neurodivergent people), and geography; some vow not to return, even suggesting strikes or unionization.
• Others acknowledge remote downsides: harder onboarding for juniors, weaker informal mentoring, and reduced casual social bonds.

Coordination vs Conspiracy

• Several participants reject “global cabal” narratives, instead invoking game theory, “spontaneous order,” and overlapping class interests: actors don’t need to conspire if incentives align.