A Message from Our CEO – September 2024

"Remind me to invite you to every party I don’t want to enjoy."

—unknown

The punchbowl is empty. The last balloon has popped. The herb has left the building. This week, the grinch-meister, Prick-in-Chief CEO Andy Jassy announced that all Amazon employees must report to work 5-days per week. Reddit is vibrating with contempt from Amazon employees. Just as the rest of the work world is settling into a remote work groove, Amazon is doubling down. A Reddit contributor posits: “Who cares where an engineer sits?” The parade of tears to the office begins January 2nd, and many won’t be making that trip.

But is Jassy just ahead of the curve? It is entirely possible that in 5 years, most companies will make the 5-day in office work week the norm. A more likely outcome is that many valuable employees will never go back to 5-days… they will just find a company that provides the flexibility. I believe what will determine the fate of remote work will have more to do with the macro-forces of supply and demand of talent. If it’s a seller’s market (more positions than employees), then remote work flourishes. If, on the other hand, employers have the upper hand, they’ll want people where they need them… and then downsize now and then.

But the crystal ball is cloudy and no one really knows. What is the future of remote work? If you’ve made it this far reading my missive I’d love to hear from you. What do you think? Just respond to this email. How will this all pan out and what does work look like in 5 years?

Fun. Times. For Everyone.

Warren