Kevin O'Leary: They're Never Coming Back | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)

Venture capitalist and "Shark Tank" co-host Kevin O'Leary joins Bill to discuss the pandemic's effect on the workplace.

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[thenostalgiabusiness]

I've been working from home for about 10 years and my favorite thing has always been that downtime truly is downtime. When I was in an office, even when things were slow, I had to pretend to look busy for my peers. At home, when things are slow, I can get some dishes done, walk my dog, do some laundry, etc. I'm used to it now, but when I first started, it felt like I had an extra few hours a day, since I wasn't spending all my non-work time catching up on chores (and commuting). More people have had a taste of that now and you can't blame them for not wanting to give it back.

[mikefromwa]

After working remotely for several years now, it seems insane to get up early, take a shower, grab something to eat, and drive to a building to work. Then you do it all in reverse at the end of the day. It just seems ridiculous to me now, and I'll never ever work in an office again.

[charlesdavidperkinsjr]

Bill: who wants to live on a farm???

Me and literally thousands of people who are working to get a farm: *slowly raises hand*

[DjAdam]

I feel that I lost a lot of my early adulthood commuting to work everyday. Time that I could have spent at the gym, being productive at home, having breakfast or dinner with my family, etc. I feel way more productive at work and my colleagues have delivered way more. No more chit chat in the hallways and coffee breaks. At least there is something positive from this entire COVID situation.

[LeesaDeAndrea]

I didn't mind the office work. In fact, most of the time I enjoyed it. What I hated about it was the bosses. All of them were on power trips, pushing people around for petty, stupid reasons.

[bassandtrebleclef]

Bill's pretty disconnected from the average person, and it's very clear in his comments in this interview.

[disliked]

I'm never going in an office again. This method of work is amazing. I'm in computers been testing it for a while and i love it. But people become very savage cause when you meet no one it can be psychologically bad just be sure you are ok with it if you live alone. I'm good with it i hate people

[lukeclover]

I love being able to work remote, but I was actually pretty scared when this period started. I'm a software developer and had only been in the field for 5 months when the lockdowns started. My team's project was in danger of getting shut down leading up to it and beforehand I had only worked from home about 5-6 times, so I was worried we'd fall flat and the project would end, and potentially get laid off. Fortunately working remote really helped me become more independent and self-sufficient as a developer, and I've been told I'm one of the main reasons this project even lasted this long

[angusdog]

I work in construction so I can’t work from home but a lot of our office staff aren’t coming back . I work for a pretty big company but feel like if you can do your job at home STAY THERE. I can’t tell you how many hours of my life I’ve spent in traffic . If you job is on a computer all day you shouldn’t be allowed to go to the office . Less congestion on our roads and highways is what we all need ….and it better for the environment.

[carltonbanks]

For me, it's great being able to take lunch out back on my deck listening to nature and relaxing.

[marambula]

Bill and some staff filmed Real Time in his backyard oasis in 2020 when most people were having very different experiences. I’d prefer his backyard oasis in southern california to a farm but alas it’s occupied and unaffordable for most. Farm life is the closest most will get to his personal backyard oasis. Congrats on your achievements bill but don’t be such a prick to other people that can’t have it both ways.

[berniecruz]

What companies are learning is that the old status quo of working in the office doesn't mean work can't get done unless people are working in the office. PLUS companies are learning that they can save themselves hundreds of millions of dollars not paying that lease for the office building too! Which in turn raises the company's net revenues too!
Also, watch, with people working from home now, more people will actually stay at a company LONGER, like they use to do back in the days, all because they won't have to deal with the company politics as much anymore!

[tootsla]

I got up at 5:00 am and commuted into downtown L.A. for 20 Years!

[tomr]

Wait, I live on a farm! The internet out here is decent. Our home sits on several acres. We can work from home and cut back on daycare and spend more time with our kids. We pick wild blackberries when they are in season. We like our neighbors. Sales tax on non-food items is 7%. There are never any traffic jams. We don't have Whole Foods but we make due on Wal Mart, IGA and Ruler Foods. The nearest Costco is about an hour away. The high school here is decent. You aren't greeted by a metal detector. People have guns. You hear gunshots every weekend but there are no reports of people being murdered. And if your making 100K per year you are living like royalty because the cost of living is much less and one can afford a lot more home. We like to visit large cities for their culture. We just don't want to live in them and the cost involved. Our life here isn't perfect but it sure is a lot less stressful. Please have questions for us and make comments. We would love to share them.

[ddes]

"who wants to live on a farm?".... people with souls Bill, thats who.

[Clavers]

My friend has a small computer services business with about a dozen employees, and most of them don't even work in the same country.

[alanwoodwind]

So we send our kids to school for 13 years, 17 if including undergrad, 19 if including graduate work, and then we say, all that time in the classroom was so you can stay at home now?

[alexg]

Bill Is right we did effing hate the office!!

[markn.]

It’s not about what the people want, it’s what business owners like Kevin O’Leary wants. If he’s ok with it than that’s on him.

[dianetrucks]

F*ck working in a cubicle environment and dealing with a horrendous commute; when you can work from the comforts of your own home and not have to contend with the daily office politics.