Office Culture

I recently met someone who is living a real-life Severance on AppleTV work vibe. After watching a few episodes on a plane ride, I know enough to assume that Severance is about the lore of corporate office culture, lingo, and the nuances of working for a company that has multiple departments, complex org charts, and soul-sucking "work."

The discourse around office culture is growing louder and louder as more people become divided on what they think is appropriate and more efficient when it comes to making a living. In 2025, the divide is generational. The tipping point was Google and their rise to dominance in the tech space, and how they shaped a workforce that came to love the cool open offices with modern furniture, mini kitchens with free snacks and lunches, and some organizations based in Silicon Valley. These spaces quickly became popular as quintessential tech offices—super different from more traditional cubicles, PC computers, and outdated printers the size of laundry rooms.

​Recent research underscores the significant impact of workplace culture on employee performance and satisfaction. A study by Eagle Hill Consulting found that 72% of U.S. workers believe their company's culture directly influences their productivity and efficiency. Additionally, a 2024 Stanford University study revealed that hybrid work models, which blend remote and in-office work, have no adverse effects on productivity or career advancement and substantially improve employee retention rates. ​

Then office culture evolved into co-working spaces thanks to WeWork, which birthed a whole new culture of offices on demand. Now people outside of tech had access to modern office hubs for small teams—startups and small businesses who weren’t big enough for a high-res 10,000 sq ft office space on the Empire State Building floor. I spent the latter half of my 20s touring these luxury office spaces, like Spring in downtown New York City, for a family office where I was the Chief of Staff. My favorite office I rented was Spaces in Hudson Yards. My boss rarely used the space, so I got to decorate it to my liking—and it was right across the street from a mall with the best fashion stores and fancy food court.

After I stopped working for private investors, I spent a few years working out of the 32nd floor of a high-rise in Times Square. My corner desk window view was great, but I wasn’t senior enough to get a coveted office with floor-to-ceiling windows. The bathrooms had stalls and I’d spend all day avoiding them until I got home. It was easy to go to, but I’d work from home at least once a week. Taking the A train to Times Square in the morning was the definition of grit. The navigating the hustle and bustle of rush hour, homeless people and getting groceries after a long day of feeling "not enough" is not something I am willing to go back to.

By the time COVID happened, I started my permanent work-from-home lifestyle. It took me a year to manifest.  But I missed leading strategy briefs and brainstorms in a huge boardroom, vying for a half-million dollar RFP for big brands like Samsung and Netflix. However, I hated the drama. Editorial teams were fueding with leadership, my boss hated my guts and wasn't impressed with my decks, even after maintaining a 75 percent close rate, and the turnover was disgusting. They also failed to give me my boss after claiming the company was not in a good financial place. The holiday parties got cheaper and cheaper, even though I still use the Alexa radio I won at the Xmas party in 2019.   On top of that, the stress of getting to work on time, presentable in the rain, sleet, snow and scorching hotness, was leading me to burnout.

Fast forward five years later and people ask me how I got into the blockchain space. Crypto is remote but at the same time in person. Now that I have a home office, I like going into shared third spaces to see people and gossip about the latest lore. However, recently this lifestyle isn’t normal for everyone in tech. Some people have to report to the office 2–3 days a week and are forced to sit under bad lighting—something I know contributes to depression. I digress, send me a message on lens or X about your preferred working style.