Originally Posted by
Excargodog
REI in Seattle SOLD A NEW HEADQUARTERS they had not even moved into. The new headquarters is GONE. Working there is no longer even an option for REI:
REI is not so much a business as an activist collective, I wouldn't consider them to be a bell-weather for business or industrial trends. They have always prioritized employees over their bottom line, and in fact don't even have a "bottom line"... after spending their revenue on whatever they want, they return the leftovers to the membership.
Originally Posted by
Excargodog
-or that Zoom will replace travel, but it is probably likely that at least to SOME degree and for SOME duration there WILL be an effect.
Remote meetings was already trending years before covid... covid pushed it as far as it could physically go but now it's going to snap back to some reasonable level because many or even most long-distance business meetings which could practically be done remotely were already there anyway before covid. Covid didn't permanently change that setpoint, it was based on the practical realities of human nature.
Originally Posted by
Excargodog
And yes, Rick, while it is indeed not impossible that this will “be good for us,” that sound a little bit like the kid digging through the manure pile hoping to find a pony. Not impossible, certainly, but clearly on the optimistic side..
The covid impact on business is not good for "us" (but aren't you a cargo pilot now anyway?). Obviously traditional business travel will take a hit, but it's not existential. I expect we'll see some *new* business travel from super-commuters showing face at the office. Net business travel will obviously be down from 2019 levels for a while.