Google is in fact allowing its employees to take their desktop monitors home, which I first discovered when I saw someone walking out through the lobby with one on Monday and thought it was hilarious, only for that to be repeated.
It's funnier because this is the NYC office and no one drives, so he was probably lugging it all the way through the subway system.
But what's the point in buying one if I only need it for a few weeks? I don't want to generate extra trash and those in the office are currently unused.
If you don't already have a monitor at home it's because you don't want one. So it doesn't make sense to spend $500 for something you'll use in a temporary WFH situation, then lose money getting rid of it once WFH starts. Much better to just bring the work monitor home for the duration of WFH.
Incidentally I do already have a monitor at home, that costs more than $500. And I'm not using it for WFH, because I find my 15" work laptop sufficient.
It's funnier because this is the NYC office and no one drives, so he was probably lugging it all the way through the subway system.