There were two distinct and opposite reactions when Amazon President and Chief Executive Officer Andy Jassy announced the company’s controversial return to office policy in September.

Amazon employees balked. Downtown Seattle business owners and commercial real estate professionals cheered. Like it or not, there’s no denying that Jassy has had a major influence on Seattle.

Jassy ignited a series of protests when he said Amazon employees must return to the office five days each week, starting this month. Three-fourths of Amazon
workers surveyed by job website Glassdoor said they were reconsidering their future with the company because of the mandate. Another survey by Fortune magazine found that employees rated the policy 1.4 on a scale of 1 to 5, with one being strongly dissatisfied. Workers said the policy would negatively affect their work-life balance.

Those protests intensified when Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman insisted that nine of 10 workers he spoke with favored the in-office mandate, and that those who opposed it were welcome to leave for another company.

Amazon’s return-to-office policy will bring 55,000 company employees to downtown Seattle five days a week. Numerous commercial real estate professionals noted that Amazon’s move would likely create a ripple effect, especially among other tech companies. Colliers reported recently that downtown Seattle’s office vacancy rate was 30%.

A recent KPMG survey of 1,300 global CEOs found that 83% predicted a full return to in-office work within three years.