“You can interrupt each other without being rude when you’re in person,” said Mr. Medina, whose company, Outreach, is now in the office on a hybrid basis. “In a Zoom conversation, you have to let somebody finish their thought.”
Dude just wants to be able to talk over his employees and has somehow convinced himself that doing that in-person isn't exactly as rude as it is in a zoom call.
It's just another way to say "I find it easier to interrupt others in-person".
This just sounds like CEOs not understanding how we leverage chat. Most of the best ideas are made in collaborative chat where people have the time to formulate their thoughts and be direct about ideas without the loudest person in the room drowning them out. Zoom meetings are 1/4 small talk and 1/2 bullshit with just enough work getting done to justify the wasted hour. In office meetings are even worse. I think many just miss the echo chamber of ass kissing and/or commiseration they get when employees are on prem.
“It’s the impromptu-ness of in-person — so for example, I was at the office and there was somebody from Chicago, she was in the San Francisco office — ‘Oh do you have time to go and chat and have a meeting about a strategy that we’re rolling out?’”
What they're really saying is that this person from Chicago doesn't understand how to plan or schedule.
At this point going back to the office sounds like the most dreadful thing ever
I would not work for a company that forced me to go to the office at this point.
I can still see some benefit of working in an office. You don't need to dress fancy, but there is value for some jobs and training purposes.
Sure, some things do work best in person, but that should be done when actually necessary as opposed to being the default.