Younger companies and leaders embrace more remote work, new study finds

Firms founded in the past decade have nearly twice the WFH rates of those started before 1990.

2/17/26 9:29AM

The companies most likely to let you work from home are the newest ones… or at least those helmed by the youngest leaders.

According to a National Bureau of Economic Research working paper published last week, employees at companies founded after 2015 are roughly twice as likely to work from home relative to firms that got their start before 1990.

Companies born in 2020 — the ones that had no choice but to build themselves around remote work from day 1 — had the highest remote working days on average, at 1.74 per week. While that trend has softened since, post-lockdown cohorts (2021-25) allowed employees to work from home an average of 1.6 days per week, well above the average of ~0.9 days of those founded before 1980.

Leadership age tells a similar story, as younger firms and CEOs tend to be more comfortable adopting new technologies and flexible ways of working. Firms run by CEOs under 30 have an average of 1.4 work-from-home days per week, compared to 1.1 days for those with CEOs who are 60 or older.

Still, that gap fades once firm age is factored in, suggesting it’s the birth year of the company — not its leader — that matters more.

And even as big incumbents keep doubling down on returning to the office, the study finds that WFH rates could tick higher over time as older firms cycle out: indeed, roughly half of US startups don’t survive past five years, per the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data, and the companies that replace them tend to be more remote-friendly from the start.

Hyunsoo Rim

appy birthday

4/1/26

Apple is turning 50 today and it doesn’t look a thing like its younger self

From Macs to iPods, iPhones, and now services, here’s how Apple’s business has looked every 10 years.

The entrance of Allbirds seen from Hayes St. in San Francisco, Calif.

Allbirds, the once buzzy multibillion-dollar sneaker startup, is selling up for $39 million

That’s less than 1% of its peak market cap about four years ago.

Tom Jones3/31/26

Max Knoblauch3/30/26

JetBlue is raising its bag fees as fuel costs squeeze airlines

JetBlue will reportedly hike its bag fees, as the cost of jet fuel continues to climb amid the war in Iran. It’s the latest example of carriers finding ways to push rising costs onto travelers.

Last week, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said that if fuel prices remain elevated, fares would need to rise another 20% for his airline to break even this year.

As CNBC reported, when one airline raises fees, others tend to follow.

Earlier this month, JetBlue hiked its first-quarter outlook for operating revenue per seat mile to between 5% and 7%, saying that strong Q1 demand helped “partially offset additional expenses realized from operational disruptions and rising fuel costs.” Now, the carrier appears to be making moves to further boost revenue to offset those costs.

Earlier on Monday, JetBlue rival Alaska Air lowered its Q1 profit forecast. The refining margins for the carrier’s cheapest fuel option — sourced from Singapore and representing about 20% of Alaska’s overall supply — have spiked 400% since February.

JetBlue did not immediately respond to a request for comment.