CEO says anyone who works from home is grabbing groceries or at the vet 30% of the time -- and shows off his busy office at Friday 5 p.m. to prove it

Pennington contends that in-office work drives productivity, pointing to a Friday 5 p.m. scene where employees remain at their desks. The Utah-based co-founder of Fund Launch and Ugly Unicorn posted a video showing a crowded office to make his case against remote work. He argues remote workers spend about 30% of their time on errands such as groceries, the vet, or children's activities, despite offering incentives like free dinners after 7 p.m. He says in-person culture benefits productivity. Reactions online were varied, with remote-first firms insisting distributed teams can be highly productive and that micromanagement hinders autonomy. One remote-run company with an entirely women-only, distributed staff described paid leave and flexibility as essential to its model. Others cited Fund Launch's Glassdoor rating of 3.1 stars as evidence the policy can backfire. Pennington told Fortune that post-COVID office culture remains energizing and essential for hard problems. The conversation reflects broader tensions between productivity, culture, and flexibility in modern work arrangements.