Remote work has been the reality for years now and yet this hasn’t happened. If anything it’s the opposite and companies are focusing on more in person workers.
It hasn't really been a reality the way it is today. During covid, we were forced to implement norms and tools for remote working (like Zoom). Also, we learned about replacing an expensive worker for a cheaper one one at a time. Earlier, there used to be entire teams in some remote location, so it was similar to having 2 islands (one large, one small) with a bridge which was crossed may be once or twice a year during annual trips to HQ. Now with one-new-person-at-a-time, teams don't lose productivity but over time, American workers are replaced with cheaper ones.
Source: seeing it myself in my current company. Also remembers: shareholder class is ruthless. If I can see this, they are seeing and acting on it as well.
> It hasn't really been a reality the way it is today
Holy hell you seem to be spamming this around.
It may not have been a reality for you and the company that you work for. It has been a reality for a lot of people and none of the 'new factors' that you used in your comments to argue that 'this time it is different' are actually new. There isnt anything new about this remote work. A lot of companies were already doing it way before, including outsourcing overseas. The new situation and trends do not change that - in fact, it makes it easier for American devs to compete by avoiding living in expensive metropolises like SF and NY. Which is helpful to those who live in such metropolises too since it would put a downward pressure on the price of everything there. Something which the real estate sector would definitely hate, I gather. Hence the pressure on the major corporations regarding RTO from that industry and the politicians they back...
Sure, it makes sense but that relocation is happening with or without me and i'd rather have a remote job and spend time with my family instead of commuting. This is basically asking "would you rather eat cake now and have your cake taken away later or choose not to eat the cake that's just sitting there and have it taken away later regarless?". I choose to eat the cake however ephemeral it may be.
Or you can delay the inevitable by making it hard to transition to remote. You can contribute in ways big and small. Have that cake supply flowing for a few more decades. And if enough people resist and companies give up on fully remote, you don't even have to worry about losing those cakes.
