[kvmet]

Is this actually happening? I have seen this idea thrown out a lot online but it always feels like a conspiracy theory to me (akin to "fine art is a tax write-off")

[azemetre]

This is the case for the city of Boston. The city derives the vast majority of its budget from commercial property taxes, it's why residential property taxes are so low in the city.

Use to work for a company that was literally told by the city that if they don't have X amount of people in the building they will lose their tax incentives they got for having the company there. The company slowly mandated hybrid then RTO everyday in about 6 months. Got out 2 weeks before it was implemented. My coworkers were extremely jealous that I got a WFH job.

Doubt Boston is alone in these propositions

[kortilla]

Why would the city care about number of people in the office if they are deriving the money from commercial property taxes?

[harshaw]

What company?

[finnh]

I think it explains some of Amazon's choices, as they made multibillion dollar bets on office space and real estate in Seattle.

[coliveira]

Yes, Amazon needs people to fill their expensive offices in Seattle, or otherwise explain to investors that they wasted billions of dollars building new offices that were used less than 5 years.

[longnt80]

feel like that to me too

I bet there are some incentives in there but it's not the whole picture. It's probably the combination of many things but mostly management that don't know how to manage people remotely, or they started to realise that most middle manager positions are obsolete/unnecessary.

[vermilingua]

“You don't need a formal conspiracy when interests converge. These people went to the same universities, they're on the same boards of directors, they're in the same country clubs, they have like interests, they don't need to call a meeting, they know what's good for them and they're getting it.”

George Carlin: https://youtube.com/watch?v=XE3sYUJASLY

[JoshTriplett]

The conspiracy theory version is that it's the sole cause, rather than one of many causes.