Historically, Google, Amazon, Facebook, etc were very office-centric. Their in-office perks were pretty much legendary and they always tried to instill the company culture built around being together in an office space. They invested heavily in real estate for this very reason. So it shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody that they are pushing for full attendance back in the office. They will gradually go back to a 5-days a week in the office, mark my words.
For smaller companies, this is great news. And not just this Amazon news, but the whole push of the bigger companies to force people back to the office. We were not able to fully compete with Amazon, Google or Facebook on salaries, but now we are in the position to offer attractive flexibility options (i.e. 100% remote) to people who value their time and work-life balance more than money. Engineers' salaries are very high already, and not everybody needs the absolute high-end salaries offered by these huge companies. I believe this might help spur more innovation and create attractive workplaces outside of the FAANG companies, as some of the very best talent will now have viable reasons to work for smaller companies and help them grow.
It's really horrible for people who joined Amazon last year, believing that they will be able to work remotely forever. Let this be a cautionary tale to everybody who decides to work for FAANG in the future.
For smaller companies, this is great news. And not just this Amazon news, but the whole push of the bigger companies to force people back to the office. We were not able to fully compete with Amazon, Google or Facebook on salaries, but now we are in the position to offer attractive flexibility options (i.e. 100% remote) to people who value their time and work-life balance more than money. Engineers' salaries are very high already, and not everybody needs the absolute high-end salaries offered by these huge companies. I believe this might help spur more innovation and create attractive workplaces outside of the FAANG companies, as some of the very best talent will now have viable reasons to work for smaller companies and help them grow.
It's really horrible for people who joined Amazon last year, believing that they will be able to work remotely forever. Let this be a cautionary tale to everybody who decides to work for FAANG in the future.