[throwaway53453]

Exactly. I consider coffee breaks and the like to be a healthy part of work life balance. They stimulate new ideas and learning in a way that video conferencing does not. Software is not like back breaking warehouse labour (which I used to do). An unhealthy mind produces nothing but shit output.

I chose my field specifically because it matters to me what I work on and doing it while being surrounded by great people matters even more. Not as a means to an end. That would've just left me bitter fourty years from now.

I didn't even know software had big money until I joined the industry, which probably explains my whole philosophy WRT in-person work.