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 more than 48,000 employees would be working from home. Zuckerberg stated that the COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant changes in our lives, including the way we work, and he believes remote work will continue to be a growing trend. This decision by Facebook, the first among major tech companies, marks a significant departure from the traditional business culture of having employees work in large offices. Tech companies have historically provided perks such as free shuttle buses, cafeterias, and personal services to encourage employees to stay in the office. If other large companies follow Facebook's lead, there could be a shift in tech employment away from expensive hubs like Silicon Valley, Seattle, and New York. The choice to work remotely may encourage tech employees who feel their high salaries are still not sufficient to purchase homes in San Francisco or San Jose to think about relocating to other regions of the country. This announcement from Zuckerberg comes after similar decisions made by Twitter and Square, both run by Jack Dorsey. Dorsey recently stated that employees at his companies can work from home indefinitely. While Google has allowed employees to work from home until the end of the year, there is no indication of permanent plans. There is a growing trend of remote work among tech professionals. Following Dorsey's announcement, there was a significant 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 current trend towards remote work is just as revolutionary for the tech industry as the launch of the iPhone over a decade ago. Tech executives have traditionally valued in-person communication as a key factor in fostering creativity for developing successful products. This belief was reflected in the sprawling campuses of tech giants like Apple, Google, Facebook, and Amazon. Even before the pandemic, major tech companies were already looking to expand beyond their main offices, following the example set by older companies like Intel. Amazon, for instance, is looking to establish a second headquarters in Virginia, a move that could be expedited by the coronavirus pandemic. According to Robert Silverman, a professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo, discussions in the tech sector were previously focused on bringing employees to work sites and providing affordable housing. The current situation is seen as a logical next step. The potential exodus of tech employees from major urban centers, coupled with layoffs, could significantly affect local communities. For example, housing prices in the Bay Area have decreased since the start of the pandemic, as reported by rental firm Zumper. Rent prices dropped by 7% in San Francisco and 15% in Menlo Park, where Facebook is located. Mark Zuckerberg has been concerned about remote employees losing productivity, and in the past, Facebook offered cash bonuses to employees living within 10 miles of headquarters. Facebook recently expanded its main campus with new offices designed by Frank Gehry, which includes a large roof garden. The company also moved into a 43-story office tower in San Francisco last year and is considering a significant office expansion in New York. In March, the coronavirus lockdown caused companies to have their employees work from home. Tech companies such as Facebook cleared out their offices before local shelter-in-place orders were issued. Now, over two months later, company executives are finding that their remote workers have exceeded their expectations in performance. Zuckerberg noted that employees stayed focused despite working from home. Facebook will start by permitting senior engineers to work remotely, and will later allow current employees to request permission to work from home if they have good performance evaluations. Beginning in January, Facebook will adjust employee compensation according to the cost of living in the locations where employees decide to reside. Mark Zuckerberg stated that Facebook will verify employee locations by monitoring where they log in to internal systems. Zuckerberg believes that this change will bring more advantages than drawbacks for the company, as it will enable Facebook to expand its recruitment efforts, retain talented employees, decrease the environmental impact of commuting, and enhance the diversity of its workforce. Currently, Facebook, Square, and Twitter are taking a more assertive approach compared to other companies in the industry. Their work is primarily conducted through software code, which can be managed remotely. However, at Apple, a large number of employees are hardware engineers who are required to work in the company's lab due to the strict confidentiality surrounding its products. Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, announced in April that the main office in Silicon Valley would remain closed until at least June, with no further updates provided. Startups may struggle with managing a remote workforce, as allowing employees to reside in the Midwest could reduce costs, but Silicon Valley offers a vast talent pool from which startups typically recruit. Many venture capitalists, primarily located in Silicon Valley and San Francisco, prefer the companies they invest in to have a local presence. Snap, a Los Angeles-based company known for Snapchat, has allowed employees to work from home until September. Snap's CEO, Evan Spiegel, mentioned in an interview that he regularly reevaluates the situation and takes advice from health authorities on when to reopen. Spiegel emphasized the importance of staying flexible in a rapidly changing situation, despite the pressure to provide definitive statements as a leader.