> People expected telecommuting to change this, but even though we have many technical tools that make remote work far more practical than it was even ten years ago, physically being in the same place as your coworkers remains extremely valuable.
Not for software development. I'm sure there are plenty of industries where this is true. Software just isn't one of them. In fact, I'd argue the opposite for most software companies. They suffer from poor work and poor working conditions due to locating everyone in one location.
I'm happy to work for a company that embraces remote work, but it's undeniably more efficient and, for most people, fulfilling on a personal level to have a high-bandwidth face-to-face conversation--and "the wifi hiccuped, what did you say?", as happens here and without exception everywhere else I've been, isn't that.
Sure, the communication might be more fulfilling--the efficiency is debatable--for certain people but at a cost of the quality and quantity of work suffering, the commute, time wasted, money wasted on office rent, certain supplies, parking, lunch, tolls, etc.
That's just an argument for government subsidized fiber internet, repeating your self a few times a day is a minor inconvenience compared to commuting.
Some of the best work happens not during scheduled meetings, but in spontaneous conversations with coworkers at random times during the day. Fiber internet doesn't solve that.
No. It's debatable. Many believe remote work is undeniably more efficient and the fulfillment you feel from high bandwidth conversations is a delusion.
Regardless of how good a substitute you feel remote communication is in general, the effect of network problems and such is an objective fact, not anyone's opinion or delusion.
Also, if we stipulate that my fulfillment from being in the office is irrelevant, that doesn't change the fact that other people will not conform to my preferred mode of communication. I'm fine with instant messaging, and a lot of people are, but in my experience, a majority don't or won't use it well.
I've been working remotely for 5 years. Left the Bay Area last year. Network problems have not been an issue. Comcast goes down for a day.. I tether. Are we really saying latency and the occasional video freeze is worth forcing the whole company to commute to the office? And live within an hour or so of everyone else?
The people who suck at communicating online suck in person too. At least online there's a record of who can't read or spell. And don't get me started on the hours I've had to wait while someone is in the hallway having a chat.
The people we're talking about are people whose entire job is communication. They're people persons. What don't you understand about that? I don't get to dictate how they work.
Anyway, I have other reasons for not wanting to work remotely too. I've seen many comments on HN from people that are very sure that the ideal for anyone technical is a private office that's utterly silent and undisturbed for concentration. That isn't me. I do get irritable if someone is having a long non-work conversation that's barely loud enough to be distracting, but I don't want to be shut up in a closet. People derive value from asking me stuff and vice versa.
You can also have poor work and poor working conditions in a remote environment - depends on how the team and yourself operate. A phrase I often tell friends who transition into indie work or remote work is a Merlin Mann phrase "You are your own worst manager".
Even if you want to argue this isn't true, developers still seem to end up in cities for the sake of networking.
(bias: I've been working remotely for ~7 years and had trouble justifying a move to a smaller off-corridor city)
Sure it's not a panacea for poor work. But it does allow one much more flexibility in terms of working conditions. Having a private space is now the default. That alone is an incredible change especially for knowledge workers. Not being subjected to the noise and distractions of others is huge as is being able to set up one's own office as one wants. As far as moving to smaller cities, that's hardly related to remote work or anything but labor laws when they favor employers so heavily as they do in the US. With zero job security, of course you'll stay in or around a major metro area. That's just common sense and won't change without legislation. It's not tech specific either. But in tech, you can pretty much move to any city in the world that will allow you to work. Hardly immobile.
Not for software development. I'm sure there are plenty of industries where this is true. Software just isn't one of them. In fact, I'd argue the opposite for most software companies. They suffer from poor work and poor working conditions due to locating everyone in one location.