Tokyo-based Overflow Inc.¡¯s commercial lease was set to expire in July and founder Yuto Suzuki had made plans to move to a larger property. But as cases of the new coronavirus began to rise in March, the 34-year-old made a drastic decision: He took the startup and its 270 workers completely ¡ª and permanently ¡ª remote.
operates an online financial planning service along with a job-matching platform for IT engineers. Most of Suzuki¡¯s employees are freelancers who were already teleworking, so a physical office space made little practical and economical sense.
¡°Think about the millions of yen in upfront deposit and the monthly rent we would have had to pay,¡± says Suzuki, who now works from the company¡¯s unofficial headquarters ¡ª his family¡¯s apartment. ¡°It¡¯s safer to eliminate fixed costs, and minimize the financial and health risks.¡±
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