E.g. the option for remote work is really nice for many and may be required to be viable in the future... but are we losing some fundamental part of teamwork by leaving the office? And does it really just make us more expendable?
I do not believe I am special in any way but I am remote since 2000 and while working with the clients I often work with teams. At no point I felt like I am loosing some "fundamental part". Maybe because work team is work team and nothing more. I do not consider work as a source of friends even though I have acquired couple this way. Mostly I have friends outside of work.
In some ways yes. It is much harder to brainstorm through conference calls for example.
>And does it really just make us more expendable?
technically yes. It's very easy to be "forgotten" in a remote setting if your job is isolated out. They won't even have a face to place on someone when it comes to re-orgs.
The HN Community isn't.
HN isn't a coherent whole with one voice.
And, as a sibling comment pointed out, neither, typically, is any individual contributor. We can even change our opinions.