Also, if you significantly above average contributor you pretty much can dictate when and where you work even before the pandemic (with some common sense limits). A famous example - intel based mac were initially developed by someone working remotely.

Yup. I’ve been mostly remote most of my career for this reason. I’ve only once had to justify it beyond my contribution once (got a doctor’s note stating that the noise in an office would make me less productive, which is true). It was no surprise that I didn’t want to keep working there for other reasons not so long after.

This wasn’t meant as a comment saying I got a doctor’s note casually (not that I think you’re suggesting that interpretation, I’m just realizing it’s important to clarify). I got it because I was sincerely concerned about the cognitive impact going into the office as demanded would have on me and my work.

If you have a similar response to sensory stimulation, I highly recommend looking into it! I’m coming from the perspective of it being common with ADHD and ASD, which aren’t the only bases for it; if you mean headaches literally, do yourself a favor and talk to your doc about why sound or any other sensory issue might be affecting you that way.

If I had to guess, that sounds an awful lot like hyperacusis. Which is more common in ADHD, along with auditory processing disorder and potentially even tinnitus.

Yuck. I have a cube at my office and even though it has an open "door" space, it has high walls and just that little bit of privacy is so nice.