AI boosted my performance. Remote work erased my presence.

Aug 19

AI made Chris faster and sharper - code co-pilots caught his errors, meeting bots took notes, reports wrote themselves. His manager rewarded him with full remote work. But then Chris realized something: AI erased him from office life. No hallway chats, no mentoring moments, fewer laughs. Stanford economist Nick Bloom returns with new data showing return-to-office mandates are "dark matter" - constantly reported but not actually happening. We explore how AI is reshaping both productivity and the social fabric of work.