Remote work may have lost one of its greatest allies, with Zoom CEO Eric Yuan reportedly ordering some employees back to the office.

Few companies have helped facilitate — or benefit from — the transition to remote work. In the early days of the global pandemic, companies, organizations, and individuals turned to Zoom to stay connected. As things returned to normal, Zoom continued to play a pivotal role in companies remote and hybrid work plans.

According to Business Insider, Zoom may be turning its back on remote work. Yuan said employees within 50 miles of corporate offices must work from the office at least two days a week, citing “trust” and brainstorming.

“In our early days, we all knew each other,” Yuan said. “Over the past several years, we’ve hired so many new ‘Zoomies’ that it’s really hard to build trust.”

“Trust is a foundation for everything,” he added. “Without trust, we will be slow.”

Yuan said remote work was not conducive to brainstorming and innovation.

“Quite often, you come up with great ideas, but when we are all on Zoom, it’s really hard,” Yuan said. “We cannot have a great conversation. We cannot debate each other well because everyone tends to be very friendly when you join a Zoom call.”

Companies have increasingly been trying to force employees to return to the office despite studies showing that RTO mandates have been disastrous and that most employees are more productive working remotely.

Despite the trends, it is more than a little surprising to see Zoom jumping on the RTO bandwagon.