During a livestreamed staff meeting on his Facebook page, Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Facebook, announced that within the next decade, up to half of the company's 48,000 employees may work from home. He emphasized that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about significant changes in our lives, including the way we work, and predicted that remote work will become increasingly popular in the future. This decision by Facebook, the first of its kind among major tech companies, marks a significant shift from the traditional business culture that focuses on bringing employees into large offices and keeping them there with perks like shuttle buses, cafeterias, and personal services. If other large companies follow suit, the landscape of tech employment could potentially move away from expensive hubs like Silicon Valley, Seattle, and New York. The ability to work remotely from home may give tech workers more incentive to relocate to other parts of the country if they feel their high salaries are not enough to afford a home in San Francisco or San Jose. Following Mark Zuckerberg's announcement, other companies like Twitter and Square, led by Jack Dorsey, have also allowed employees to work from home indefinitely. Google employees can work from home until the end of the year, but the company has not made any permanent plans. This trend suggests that remote work is becoming popular among technologists. Following Dorsey's announcement, there was a noticeable increase in Google searches for "Twitter jobs," as reported by Google Trends. Aaron Levie, the CEO of Box, a business technology company, took to Twitter to express his belief that the shift towards remote work is as significant for the future of technology as the introduction of the iPhone over ten years ago. Tech leaders have always valued face-to-face communication as crucial for fostering creativity in developing popular products, evidenced by the elaborate campuses of companies like Apple, Google, and Facebook in Silicon Valley, as well as Amazon's new headquarters in Seattle. Even before the pandemic, major tech companies were already looking to expand beyond their main offices, following in the footsteps of older companies like Intel. Amazon plans to open a second headquarters in Virginia, and the coronavirus pandemic may speed up this process. Prior to the pandemic, there was a focus on bringing workers to office locations and providing affordable housing in the tech sector. This trend is now continuing as employees leave major urban tech hubs and face layoffs, which could have significant effects on local areas. For instance, housing prices in the Bay Area have decreased since the start of the pandemic, as reported by rental firm Zumper. Rent prices in San Francisco decreased by 7% in April, and dropped by 15% in Menlo Park, where Facebook is headquartered. Mark Zuckerberg has always been concerned that employees working remotely would be less productive. Previously, Facebook offered cash incentives to employees living within 10 miles of the main campus. In 2018, Facebook expanded its headquarters with new offices designed by Frank Gehry, including a large roof garden with over 200 trees. Recently, Facebook began moving into a 43-story office building in San Francisco and is currently negotiating for a major office expansion in New York. In March, the coronavirus lockdown required companies to have employees work from home. Tech companies like Facebook cleared out their offices before local shelter-in-place orders were issued. Executives have since found that their remote workers exceeded expectations. Zuckerberg noted that employees stayed focused while working from home. Facebook plans to start by letting new senior engineers work remotely and then allowing current employees to request to work from home if they have good performance reviews. Beginning in January, Facebook will be adjusting employee compensation based on the cost of living in the areas where employees decide to reside. Facebook will verify employee locations by monitoring where they access internal systems from. According to Zuckerberg, this change could bring more advantages than drawbacks for the company. By permitting remote work, Facebook can enhance recruitment efforts, retain key employees, decrease the environmental impact of commuting, and increase workforce diversity. Currently, Facebook, Square, and Twitter are taking a more assertive approach compared to other companies in the industry. Their work is primarily conducted using software code, which can be managed remotely. However, at Apple, a significant number of employees are hardware engineers who must work in the company's lab due to the strict confidentiality surrounding its products. Apple's CEO, Tim Cook, announced in April that the main office in Silicon Valley would remain closed until at least June, with no further updates on the timeline. Startups may struggle with managing a remote workforce, as having employees live in the Midwest could lower costs but Silicon Valley offers a vast talent pool that startups rely on for their workforce. Many venture capitalists, primarily located in Silicon Valley and San Francisco, prefer the companies they invest in to be in close proximity. Snap, the company behind Snapchat in Los Angeles, has allowed employees to work from home until September. CEO Evan Spiegel stated in an interview that he is constantly reevaluating the situation and taking advice from health authorities on when to reopen. Spiegel emphasized the importance of remaining flexible in a rapidly changing situation, despite the pressure to provide definitive statements as a leader.