Will working from home ruin tech markets?

[EJ K.]

San Fran, Seattle, Denver, Austin? What are your thoughts on places with technology as a large sector doing? Some are moving to allow permanently working from home. Hence homes and commercial might dip? These people could work abroad if they wanted to with these changes. Just a thought.

[Will Fraser]

I think there's going to be some effect in the commercial markets across the board, but especially in high cost cities like the ones you mentioned.

The one mitigating factor in my mind is this:  each time I've been to one of these tech campuses one thing is very clear . . . it's way cooler than my house.  My house does not and will not have a sauna, message staff, cereal bar, sushi chef, nap pods, or any of the other half dozen things that many of these tech campuses offer.  That is a tangible part of the culture machine that these companies have created that has the ability to attract people to it.  So, I'd guess that if 15% of the total tech-worker populace decides to leverage their newfound location independence, the tech companies will have no problem finding 15% more boots to deploy in the office.  Heck, they may end up more profitable as a result!