Robinhood CEO admits his RTO call was wrong and now says execs must be in the office 5 days a week: ‘Your manager is going through more pain than you’
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Robinhood CEO admits his RTO call was wrong and now says execs must be in the office 5 days a week: ‘Your manager is going through more pain than you’

August 14, 2025
07:30 PM
4 min read
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To change the future of the workforce, Robinhood's CEO says change has to start in the corner offices.

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4 min read

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business news

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August 14, 2025

07:30 PM

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Fortune

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technologyfinancial servicesmarket cyclesseasonal analysismarket

Success·careerRobinhood CEO admits his RTO call was wrong and now says execs must be in the office 5 days a week: ‘Your manager is going through more pain than you’By Jessica CoacciBy Jessica CoacciSuccess FellowJessica CoacciSuccess FellowJessica Coacci is a reporting fellow at Fortune where she covers success

Prior to joining Fortune, she worked as a ducer at CNN and CNBC.SEE FULL BIO Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev.Getty Images—BloombergRobinhood CEO Vlad Tenev is cracking down on the C-suite, ordering top executives back to the office five days a week

It’s a reversal from just three years ago, when Tenev declared the company fully remote

Other members of the “Magnificent Seven,” including Microsoft and Amazon, are also pressing employees to return—and keeping a close eye to ensure they’re not “coffee badging.” The peaceful days of fielding s from the couch are coming to an end—at least for executives at Robinhood

The CEO of the $100 billion fin company, Vlad Tenev, is bringing his C-suite back into the office five days a week

Managers will have to commute just four days, and individual contributors will report three days a week to the office

While employees without direct reports have escaped stricter return-to-office measures, it could be a painful policy change for those in the corner office who’d prefer working from

But that, Tenev says, is the whole point. “If you’re an individual contributor and you’re doing work, it’s very nice to know that your manager is going through more pain than you,” Tenev said in an episode of the Cheeky Pint podcast published Wednesday

This marks a shift in tone from Tenev, who in 2022 announced Robinhood would be a remote-first company

He admits, however, that’s a decision he regretted “pretty much immediately.” “Everyone said it was a one-way door, but it turns out it’s a two-way door

You can reverse pretty much anything,” he said

RTO measures for : The talent tug of war Despite being notably absent from the workplace themselves, bosses have spent the better part of three years cracking down on office attendance

In fact, 93% of CEOs say they don’t go into the office full-time and have instead adopted flexible working patterns

Namely, Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol joined the coffee chain last summer as a remote worker

He wasn’t required to move to Seattle at the time, and the company even said it would help him set up an office near his Newport Beach, Calif. and just use the corporate jet to travel to headquarters. (Niccol has since moved to Seattle and reports to headquarters)

But that hasn’t stopped giants from tightening their RTO policies

Microsoft is reportedly planning a stricter RTO policy after letting most employees work remotely for as much as 50% of the time without apval

Other CEOs, Amazon’s Andy Jassy, have emphasized the importance of in-person collaboration, arguing it’s essential for maintaining Amazon’s innovative culture. “We’ve observed that it’s easier for our teammates to learn, model, practice, and strengthen our culture; collaborating, brainstorming, and inventing are simpler and more effective,” Jassy said in September 2024

Some firms are taking enforcement even further

Amazon put an end to “coffee badging” by setting a minimum-hour obligation on in-office days

The term was coined to describe employees who badge in at the office just to get coffee and then leave

This July, Samsung announced it would roll out a tool for managers to also track coffee badging

Last year, Dell gave its workers literal red flags for not swiping their badge enough

But as larger companies grow stricter, smaller ones are using it for more leverage by offering work-from- benefits

A recent study found remote work topped the list of factors workers consider most important in a job, surpassing salary

Moreover, FTI Consulting reports 70% of remote or hybrid workers would consider looking for a new job if ordered back to the office full-time without a raise

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