Sounds to me like your work wasn't just your work, but also your hobby and your social life. I do think you genuinely enjoyed that, probably even living close to what you considered your 'life'. You didn't need to 'invest' anything, you love it and would probably aspire to do it if you had to pay for it ((before you roll your eyes, there are many, many rich kids playing startup with their parents money or trust funds). Been there done that, as ave many in our early years, even though for me it wasn't startups but research, a hunger for knowledge.
But not everybody likes these lifestyle choices. And most people have 'jobs' by necessity, to make 'a living' not just for themselves, but also their family and relatives. Unlike a hobby or play, this involves doing things under constraints they do not like and can't afford to just run away from.
This does not mean they must be obviously any less good or effective at their job. I've had strict 9-5'ers that were 10x'ers, and no-life office rats that loved the place but had near 0 net contribution. I does mean that they consider a significant, if not the most part of their 'life' to be outside of 'work' or 'the office'. That 'life' was always momentously impacted by 'the office' thing, even far beyond the dreaded commute unless you sacrificed your desired living place for 'living near the office'. Anything that otherwise takes a few minutes, taken a delivery, having maintenance done, getting the kids from school and fed, was made impossible by you being physically not near.
Technological roll-outs made remote possible. The pandemic drove widespread adoption. People discovered that 'the office' was no longer a necessary evil you just had to accept. After the pandemic, not just were they not keen to return, but they started to discover that they gained so much more social options thanks to non work time having significantly boosted. (ditching a 2 hour commute does nearly double your daily free time).
So it is very natural for this to be a very sensitive topic for most. If you truly want to work on 'fixing those things instead of making them bearable', compete on a level playing field and create an office people would pay for to work at, not force them through other means.
One last point: Your 'office' will not protect you from being de-localized. Even before tele-work, the offices used to move to the lower wages whenever they could. Your skill differentiation will have to be what saves you.
But not everybody likes these lifestyle choices. And most people have 'jobs' by necessity, to make 'a living' not just for themselves, but also their family and relatives. Unlike a hobby or play, this involves doing things under constraints they do not like and can't afford to just run away from.
This does not mean they must be obviously any less good or effective at their job. I've had strict 9-5'ers that were 10x'ers, and no-life office rats that loved the place but had near 0 net contribution. I does mean that they consider a significant, if not the most part of their 'life' to be outside of 'work' or 'the office'. That 'life' was always momentously impacted by 'the office' thing, even far beyond the dreaded commute unless you sacrificed your desired living place for 'living near the office'. Anything that otherwise takes a few minutes, taken a delivery, having maintenance done, getting the kids from school and fed, was made impossible by you being physically not near.
Technological roll-outs made remote possible. The pandemic drove widespread adoption. People discovered that 'the office' was no longer a necessary evil you just had to accept. After the pandemic, not just were they not keen to return, but they started to discover that they gained so much more social options thanks to non work time having significantly boosted. (ditching a 2 hour commute does nearly double your daily free time).
So it is very natural for this to be a very sensitive topic for most. If you truly want to work on 'fixing those things instead of making them bearable', compete on a level playing field and create an office people would pay for to work at, not force them through other means.
One last point: Your 'office' will not protect you from being de-localized. Even before tele-work, the offices used to move to the lower wages whenever they could. Your skill differentiation will have to be what saves you.