> The CEO class loves their own freedom to move about at will but hates the idea that workers have the right to just NOT be in the office.

I don’t know that that is a reasonable take. More appropriate would be to acknowledge that different roles have different needs, depending on who you collaborate with, etc.

> different roles have different needs, depending on who you collaborate with, etc.

At one FAANG company where the CEO is pushing for RTO, it's mandatory regardless of whether all of the people you collaborate with are in other offices across the country, and your manager has no power to offer an exemption even when they fully agree that there's no reason for you to be at the office.

Apparently my role could be remote but the company took it away.

I don't think we need to give their good wills. They are just using the economic reality to fuck us, and I'm sure many of us are considering fucking back when the stars are right.