> Office space is the single most expensive line-item on most companies financials

Is it? Not payroll? Expensive commercial real estate in the US rents for $80/sq ft/year (source: https://www.matchoffice.com/news/rental-rates-for-commercial...). Tech workers are generally factored in at using 250 sq ft (source: https://web.mit.edu/e-club/hadzima/how-much-does-an-employee...). So, $20k per year, per employee for rent in the most expensive cities in the country. How can that possibly be more expensive than payroll?