Bridger Pennington Says Remote Staff Waste 30% of Workday as Founders Defend Home-Based Teams
Updated
Updated · Fortune · Jun 4
Bridger Pennington Says Remote Staff Waste 30% of Workday as Founders Defend Home-Based Teams
1 articles · Updated · Fortune · Jun 4
Summary
Bridger Pennington reignited the return-to-office debate by claiming remote employees spend about 30% of their day on errands, using a Friday 5 p.m. video of staff still at their desks to argue office work is more productive.
The Utah startup co-founder said Fund Launch encourages office attendance with perks including free dinners for employees who stay past 7 p.m., and he told critics to test remote work at their own startups.
Remote-first founders and workers pushed back in comments, saying distributed teams across continents are highly productive and calling Pennington’s stance micromanagement; some also pointed to Fund Launch’s 3.1-star Glassdoor rating.
The clash reflects a broader split over what counts as productivity: managers often value visibility and quick in-person access, while many employees say fewer office interruptions let them finish the same work faster from home.