My friend's job pays him enough he could lease his own office near where he lives. He has all the "toys" he needs, space for his own research and he doesn't have to waste time to commute.

My view is that offices were a thing because there was no technology to do otherwise and back then equipment was too large / expensive to be kept at employee's place.

Now only reason to go to office is to artificially maintain property value so landlords don't lose money.

Often the owners also have shares in the business and influence this return to office aka sustain my property portfolio nonsense