A Physical Social Network℠

Ben Schwartz

Original version published on January 16, 2025.

The second season of Severance debuts tomorrow, offering a timely reflection on modern work culture and its discontents. The first season, released in 2022 but primarily scripted before the pandemic, painted a vivid picture of workplace alienation — a condition that has only deepened in the years since. With the rise of remote work and the increasing integration of AI into our daily lives, Severance feels more poignant than ever.

Modern work culture fosters alienation on multiple levels: from the work produced, from the people around us, and, perhaps most unsettlingly, from ourselves. This threefold alienation contributes to a growing trend of individuals turning to entrepreneurship as a means of reclaiming purpose and connection. But a healthy culture shouldn’t push people to the brink where they feel that their organizations and work conditions are intolerable, and entrepreneurship unfortunately can’t be the answer for everyone. We as a society need to find a way to make work pleasant.

Karl Marx’s 19th-century concept of worker alienation — where laborers, detached from the products of their efforts, experience a loss of purpose — is no longer confined to factory floors. In the knowledge economy that developed in the 20th century — and especially with the rise of technology in the 21st century — this alienation has expanded. Not only are knowledge workers disconnected from their product in terms of compensation, but they produce no physical product at all — only digital assets, such as spreadsheets and slide presentations.

New technology drives alienation in another way, especially post-pandemic; workers now face the additional challenges of remote and hybrid work arrangements, which often exacerbate feelings of disconnection. Unlike the characters in Severance who forge bonds within their isolated office environment, many real-world remote workers face a profound lack of human connection — even as workers resist returning to traditional office settings. According to the Pew Research Center’s March study, a majority of remote and hybrid workers report that working remotely reduces their sense of connection to their coworkers. This disconnection drives some to entrepreneurship, where they attempt to build environments that prioritize meaningful interactions and collaboration.

Beyond this alienation from others lies a deeper and more unsettling form of estrangement: alienation from the self. In the U.S., where, as Tocqueville noted at the country’s beginning, no rigid social hierarchy assigns value, profession is often a cornerstone of identity and self worth. The American Survey Center’s June 2022 American Perspectives Survey found that 71% of workers consider their profession “an important part of who they are.” When jobs become meaningless or devalued due to the threat of automation, Americans struggle to find alternative conceptions of self-identity, leading to an existential crisis. This problem has become particularly stark as even highly skilled professionals grapple with the erosion of their sense of purpose and identity in the face of automation and AI.

Entrepreneurship emerges as a way for individuals to rebuild their sense of identity and purpose, offering an alternative to the alienation of traditional corporate roles. In a recent update to their 2023 study, which tracked a major rise in new business formation during the pandemic, Ryan Decker of the Federal Reserve Board and John Haltiwanger of the University of Maryland note the geographical correlation between people who quit their jobs and the formation of new businesses. Decker and Haltiwanger also find that the trend of embracing entrepreneurship continues post-pandemic; the motivations that led people to leave their jobs and start new businesses in 2020 are still at play.

By stepping away from rigid corporate hierarchies, entrepreneurs gain the freedom to shape their work in ways that align with their values and aspirations. However, not everyone has the resources or risk tolerance to pursue this path. While entrepreneurship can be empowering for some, it’s not a scalable answer to the systemic issues of alienation in the workplace.

A more sustainable solution lies in reevaluating and restructuring how we approach work. Companies must move beyond outdated models — the rigid structures and sterile office dynamics reminiscent of Severance — and create environments where workers feel genuinely connected, valued, and fulfilled. This includes fostering authentic relationships, recognizing meaningful contributions, and addressing the unique challenges of remote and hybrid work. AI and automation should be leveraged not as tools of replacement but as opportunities to enhance the human aspects of work.

Severance invites us to reflect on these challenges and possibilities. As society grapples with the transformations wrought by remote work, AI, and shifting cultural norms, the show serves as both a critique and a call to action. The alienation it depicts is a cautionary tale, but it also points to the urgent need for a reimagined work culture — one that prioritizes connection, purpose, and humanity over mere productivity. Only by addressing these underlying issues can we move toward a future where work is not just tolerable, but truly fulfilling.