E3: Why Remote Work is Killing Your Startup (And Your Sanity)
Published August 13th, 2025 • 24 minutes
The Remote Work Obsession Has Gone Too Far
San Francisco real estate is back. New York City is back. But the tech community is still obsessed with remote work - "work from anywhere," digital nomad life, "the future is distributed."
Here's my controversial take: Remote work might be killing your tech startup.
I know this is controversial as hell, especially coming from someone running a partially remote team. But hear me out.
My Remote Work Journey: From Believer to Skeptic
I started my career working remotely in 2018 - before the pandemic made it cool. Got hired by a San Francisco company with teammates in the UK, Argentina, Poland, even Russia.
It was novel, exciting. No set hours, pick your schedule, ultimate flexibility. I worked from my university basement, constantly thinking I'd get fired because I felt so lost and unproductive.
Then came my first performance review: 10/10. I was shocked. I felt like I was doing nothing, but apparently I was "doing fine."
For eight months, I experienced the full remote work promise: grocery store runs between meetings, ultimate flexibility, learning from experienced mentors through video calls.
But there was a problem I couldn't ignore.
The Hybrid Hell That No One Talks About
The C-suite - CEO, CTO, Head of Product, Head of Design - they all worked from a small San Francisco office two days per week.
I constantly wondered: What's being discussed in that room that I'm not part of?
This created "hybrid hell" - some people always in the office forming one group, remote workers forming another. Even though management wasn't intentional about it, the dynamic was undeniable.
Office politics emerged. Quick decisions happened in rooms I wasn't in. I felt disconnected from critical company direction.
The company eventually recognized this and went fully remote. But for months, that dynamic was toxic.
Why I Choose the Office Now (5 Days a Week)
Today, I go to the office Monday through Friday. Not because I have to, but because I've learned something important about myself and productivity.
Personal Productivity
I needed separation between church and state. Home is for relaxation, TV, couches. Office is for focus, deep work, getting things done.
When I worked from my bedroom in college, my bed was two meters away. Impossible to focus. The productivity loss was devastating.
Peer accountability matters. Working at WeWork with glass doors, seeing others focused and productive, creates positive pressure. Not judgment, but accountability.
I never know when to stop working when at home. The surveys are right - remote workers struggle with boundaries. Different environments give me different mindsets and mental clarity.
The Team Dynamic Problem
Here's what really concerns me about remote teams:
- Communication friction. Every decision takes longer when you can't walk over and solve it in 30 seconds.
- Culture building is nearly impossible. How do you build genuine culture through Slack messages and Zoom calls? You can't.
- Complex problem solving suffers. When shit hits the fan, in-person always wins. Try explaining a complex bug or drawing system architecture over video - it's painful.
- You lose the whiteboard moment. Yes, there are digital whiteboards, but they suck. You know it, I know it.
Why Amazon and JP Morgan Are Right
Amazon is notoriously cheap, yet they rent entire buildings and parking lots to get people back in office. JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs - companies with hundreds of billions in resources are forcing people back.
Why would they do this if remote work was more productive?
These companies have access to every productivity metric imaginable. If remote work delivered better results, they'd stick with it to save massive real estate costs.
The truth: Remote work productivity is largely a myth. Individual tasks? Sure, you can complete them. But collective team productivity always drops when going from in-person to remote.
The Real Costs of Remote-First Startups
Slower Decision Making
Everything goes through more channels. Quick alignment becomes impossible.
Weaker Company Culture
Even remote advocates admit this. Remote cultures are comparatively weaker than in-person cultures. That's just truth.
Communication Must Be Perfect
With remote teams, everything must be absolutely clear. One miscommunication costs hours or days.
Talent vs. Relationships
Yes, remote gives access to global talent. But how do you build long-term relationships and loyalty when you're oceans apart?
Video Call Fatigue
Video calls are draining. In-person meetings energize me. I take every in-person meeting I can get.
What I'm Doing Differently
My current team: 5 people total. 2 in-person, 3 remote. It's manageable at this size, but I can't imagine scaling this way.
My plan:
- Meet remote team members at least once per year in person
- Setting up an offshore base in India where several team members are located
- Spending months together annually, not just quick visits
- Building genuine relationships, not just work connections
For my overseas team, I'm even considering setting up a base there so they can work in-person together, even when I'm not there. Team members need to know each other, understand each other, work closely together.
When Remote Works (And When It Doesn't)
Remote can work for:
- Support roles (though AI might replace these anyway)
- Trusted employees you worked with in-person first
- Consultants and contractors
- Teams like GitLab that built remote-first from day one
Remote struggles with:
- Early-stage startups that need velocity
- Complex product development
- Culture building
- Crisis management
- Creative collaboration
My Practical Advice
If You Must Work from Home
- Never put your desk in your bedroom. Worst decision you can make.
- Use different floors if you have a multi-level home
- Try different lighting - different colors for work vs. relaxation spaces
- Test co-working spaces - $200/month isn't expensive for the productivity boost
If You're a Founder
- Don't let remote be the default. Be intentional about when and why you go remote.
- Meet your team in person at least once or twice per year minimum
- Consider offshore bases if you have clusters of remote employees
- Don't worry about office costs - be conservative with space but prioritize team connection
- Remember: Velocity is everything. Every hour of delayed communication can cost your startup's life.
The Controversial Truth
Sometimes the old way works because that shit works.
Notion is notorious for in-person work because their design and UX require tight collaboration. It's working for them.
If remote is perfectly working for your team, keep doing it. But if you're struggling with communication, culture, or execution speed, maybe the problem isn't your team or you.
Maybe it's because you're trying to build something requiring genuine human connections through a medium that fundamentally limits those connections.
The Bottom Line
Startups live or die on velocity. How fast can you move? How quickly can you pivot? How rapidly can you solve problems?
Remote work adds friction to every direction you might take. It makes culture building harder. It makes early employees feel less valuable and connected.
Remote work might feel modern and progressive, but it might also be quietly killing your startup.
Disagree with me? Good. Email george@founderreality.com or find me on Twitter @TheGeorgePu. I'll read your arguments in future episodes.
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