[gruez]

>selling or ending the lease early might reflect badly on leadership.

Why? If the lease was signed before the pandemic that gives a very easy "out". It's not like anyone could have predicted the pandemic and the associated shift to WFH. If for whatever reason they signed afterwards, that's just them being dumb.

[mft_]

For example, the last big company I worked for had invested in building out its campus with multiple new flagship bespoke buildings, including during (and not reconsidered due to) the pandemic. It would be quite difficult and/or a loss of corporate face to sell/lease them out.

I'm not saying it's rational, but that doesn't mean it's not sometimes an influential factor.