[randomdata]

> we could actually improve the housing situation across the country

The benefit of concentrating people together is that it also concentrates capital, which makes people rich, which allows them to do things like buy expensive homes.

Spread people around and the sticker price will be lower, but the capacity to buy the homes will be reduced commensurately.

[RcouF1uZ4gsC]

If only there was a way that people could communicate, collaborate, and move money around without being next to each other.

If that ever gets developed, it will revolutionize the world.

[randomdata]

Well, we have the highway, but it turns out that trucking mills and lathes around to each worker's home is less efficient than bringing people to where the capital sits. I know a nuclear reactor powering a chip fab in everyone's garage is the dream, but...

[paulryanrogers]

What percentage of jobs require so much equipment it must be onsite?

[randomdata]

All jobs in the modern economy require capital to be on-site. Some capital is more realistically held at home than others, of course. What kind of threshold are we using to draw a dividing line? I know a number of people who really do have lathes and mills at home, so we need to be more specific here about where the line is drawn.

[RufusJacksons]

I have a lathe and a mill at home. Quit my job in the city 1.5 hours away during covid and now run a business from home / get to be a parent. It’s the best. I gave up $190k salary to barely make my mortgage, best decision I ever made!

[RestlessMind]

There are a lot of sectors where in-person presence is needed. See the list of "essential workforce", who were essentially allowed to avoid lockdowns: https://covid19.ca.gov/essential-workforce/

Also, some jobs were moved online during COVID (eg. teaching) but it is clearly demonstrated that they work better in person.