In early January 2023, the news broke: Disney CEO—and one of the most successful top executives of our time—Bob Iger sent an internal email announcing the end of full remote work and a return to the office.

The international press quickly picked up the story:

• “Disney CEO Bob Iger orders workers to return to the office four days a week” (The Guardian)

•  “Disney staff ordered back to office four days a week” (BBC)

•  “Bob Iger tells Disney employees to come back to the office” (Business Insider)

At first glance, it sounded like a corporate giant was killing off one of the pandemic era’s biggest shifts—remote work—and that other big names were falling in line. Starbucks’ CEO soon made a similar announcement, followed by Apple, General Motors, and Twitter’s Elon Musk, who famously quipped: “If you don’t show up, pretend you work somewhere else.”

The headlines make it sound like a cultural wildfire—angry petitions, mass resignations, and managers scrambling. But Disney HQ won’t be burning down any time soon.