Different tastes. With all due respect, for every guy like you who doesn't want to work there, there are 10 that do.
I understand that remote first doesn't work for everyone, nothing works for everyone.
- Companies that previously laughed at the idea of WFH were forced to implement it without much time to prepare. Their technology, culture, and processes are bad.
- We're in a pandemic, so I can't go hang with my friends after 5pm at a bar or do any outside hobbies. This slight cabin fever is making people dislike WFH which is ironic because usually WFH means you have more time to go outside and do fun things.
In 10 years you will have a whole new generation of engineers that always worked from home and by then I would be surprised if the ratio is only 1:10.
As another comment mentioned, this current pandemic makes you hate a lot of aspect of life, regardless if you worked from home or from the office.
The world is moving in that direction. Adapt or become extinct.
I would be very surprised if in 50 years the concept of an office even exists anymore.
I'm biased as a remote worker; I want more orgs going remote so there are more jobs to choose from, and commutes are soul sucking. If you want an office, rent a coworking space near home (with an employer picking up the tab, with a reasonable ~$300-500/month coworking stipend). A local library near me offers one for free, coffee, desk, wifi, printers, and free parking included.
The majority responded that they didn't want to WFH. There was a question that had several options for which composition of WFH vs WFO people wanted in the new normal. Only 25% of people picked an answer where they would WFH more often than they'd WFO.