Why didn't you just move states and ask "forgiveness" later? Companies cannot tell you where and when to live and if they try it see who blinks first. I would certainly have ignored them and let them fire me or RIF me.
That's very true, even contracting I ran into different issues based on where I work from and where they are. Some companies required a business entity is certain states.
An employee in a state exposes the employer to legal, regulatory, and tax jurisdiction. Many employers are not set up to handle compliance in states other than where they are located, and even many multi-state employers may not be set up to handle compliance in a particular state.
Not all states are understanding about this either; many states are notorious for penalizing employers for failing to comply with compliance requirements they didn't know they had because an employer moved to a state without telling them.
Prior to COVID, many companies considered this grounds for for-cause termination. Even post-COVID, some companies still consider this grounds for for-cause termination.
That just isn't really something I wanted to do. I was in a privileged enough position where I could choose to leave so I did when it became convenient. Not everyone can do that and the new policies may put them in a bind.