Former Amazon executive explains why company executives want to stop remote work

Remote work has become increasingly common due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but there are also moves to scale back remote work programs, particularly at large companies such as Google and Amazon . Former Amazon executive Ethan Evans explains why corporate executives want to end remote work.

As a retired Amazon VP who experienced a 9082% increase in Amazon stock during my time, I am out of touch with many common life struggles. The SVPs and CEOs above me are often more so. Talking about wealth and it's impacts is a taboo subject most executives avoid. I'm going to…

— Ethan Evans (@EthanEvansVP) March 1, 2025

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Amazon introduced company-wide remote work for a limited period of time , and in October 2021, it began a accommodative policy for remote work , leaving the minimum number of times each week to the discretion of each team . However, in August 2023, CEO Andy Jassy was reported to have told employees, ' If you continue to refuse to come into the office three days a week, you probably won't work at Amazon ,' and in September 2024, 'five days a week in the office' was established as the basic working style.

Amazon changes policy to '5 days a week in the office' - GIGAZINE

When asked why executives are pushing for the end of remote work despite the fact that employees are feeling more productive from remote work , Evans argues based on his own experience that 'ordinary employees and executives live in different worlds.'

Evans was a very wealthy Amazon executive, and lived a life of not having to pay a mortgage, having a maid service clean every two weeks, having someone else mow the lawn, and retiring early at age 50. Furthermore, 'executives above Mr. Evans' live lives that are very different from those of regular employees, such as 'owning multiple villas with a resident caretaker,' 'owning private jets,' 'hiring personal assistants to handle bill processing and grocery shopping,' 'hiring drivers,' 'sending their children to expensive private schools,' and 'living wherever they like without worrying about the cost at all.'

When regular employees work in the office, they face a number of problems, such as 'it takes time to get to the office' and 'there is less time to do housework,' but executives do not experience these problems. Furthermore, many of those who rise to the executive level spend most of their lives at work and recognize that going to the office is 'very valuable.'

Evans recommends using data and videos to show executives the impact of remote work on regular employees, so that they can understand the impact, as a way to explain the importance of remote work to executives, whose lives are very different from those of regular employees.