After a golden era at Snap and other tech firms, it's back to reality for workers

Apple will soon begin requiring workers to show up in person three days a week (some are resisting). Other companies have adopted even stricter policies, eliminating remote work altogether. — Photo by Headway on Unsplash

A year into the pandemic, Evan Spiegel was flying high. The chief executive of Snap said annual revenue growth of 50% or more was a "steady state opportunity" for the social media company, requiring no additional gains in audience or innovation.

These days, things are heading in a different direction. An ex-employee freshly let go from the company's research and development wing offered this apocalyptic view of its current status: "sinking and on fire."