Nejatian: Remote work generally fails, with Shopify being a rare exception
Kaz Nejatian · Excellence Is the Capacity to Take Pain · Jul 21, 2026 · at 23:06
Kaz Nejatian, Opendoor executive and former Shopify COO, explains to Shane Parrish why he mandated an immediate return to the office at Opendoor.
0:00 / 0:23exact quote · 23.7s
720p mp4 · rendered on demand · StarZero watermark
“First of all, I don't think remote works. Generally, it only works for Shopify, and that's because we built more software to make remote work than anyone reasonably thought we could. And I think the jury has fully come back on this topic, that companies that are primarily remote end up having slower cycles. And if you look at startups, it just tends to be true.”
quote is from the automated transcript, cleaned for reading: filler sounds and stutters are removed, nothing is rephrased. names can be misheard (the analysis reads context, assessments check outside sources). how →
More from Kaz Nejatian
Nejatian: Non-founder-led companies become hosts for professional consulting leeches
“Where the founders are no longer there, there's no large shareholder that cares a lot about the company. So over time, many of these companies essentially become hosts for professional leeches whose job it is to suck the company dry while making management loo…”
Nejatian: A culture of 'suicidal empathy' is killing top tech companies
“There is a level of suicidal empathy that people have developed that is just deadly. It is killing our best companies because people are assuming that everyone is thin-skinned, and they're assuming that people are offended by facts.”
Nejatian: A/B testing primarily serves as a safety blanket for tech management
“What, for most tech companies, AB tests have done have been the safety blanket for management.”
Nejatian: Opendoor's top external expense was millions to a consulting firm
“And usually for tech companies, like, your largest expense to an external vendor ends up being, like, your cloud provider. But for Opendoor, number one was millions of dollars written to a very large consulting firm.”
Nejatian mandated Opendoor return to office within one week or exit
“So Open Door had gone fully remote. So at nine a.m. That Monday, I told the entire company, hey, Open Door is going to be back in the office next Monday. If you don't plan to be in one of these offices, we appreciate your help, but you're no longer with us.”