CEO of $8 billion Flexport blasts remote work as ‘white-collar fraud’ and a ‘total fantasy’ for highly paid employees

The CEO of an $8 billion logistics company that thrived during the pandemic is reviving the debate about remote work with a controversial take that has some calling him out online. Ryan Petersen, the founder and CEO of Flexport, said on the Twenty Minute VC podcast this week that remote work is “white collar fraud,” partly because it can lead employees to become distracted at home, especially those who have children. “I have a three-year-old and a five-year-old. The idea that I could do any work at my house is like a total fantasy,” he said. “Like, come on. You’re kidding.” Petersen added these distractions may be even worse for people who have less space at home than he does. “I have a bigger house than most employees do. Like, I actually do have a private office I can close the door on. It doesn’t matter. Like, there’s no work getting done at that house when the children are around,” he added. The comments were immediately lambasted online by parents and some other founders. Ryan Carson, the CEO of Untangle, which provides legal workflow software for divorce attorneys, said in a post on X he was saddened by Petersen’s opinion. “As someone who has raised an 18-year-old and a 15-year-old, the precious time you get to see them while you’re working from home will be worth more than anything you could do with your company or the dollars that you can make,” he wrote in the post. Petersen’s comments are notable given his company benefited greatly from the pandemic, when many companies switched to remote work. Flexport didn’t immediately respond to Fortune’s request for comment. Through its software, Flexport has helped companies like Brawny paper towel maker Georgia-Pacific and baby food maker Gerber streamline their supply chains. And when employees working from home triggered an ecommerce boom during the pandemic, Flexport’s revenue skyrocketed to $3.3 billion in 2021, up from $670 million pre-pandemic, and it became profitable for the first tim