iTechGuides is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more
Some founders are choosing in-person time for the relationships, peer learning and access to mentors or investors that are harder to build through online work alone. Station F director Roxanne Varza and Anthropic startup-sales leader Aiden Blake described that pattern at a Turin panel—but their comments do not prove that AI startups broadly are returning to offices.
Why do some AI-era founders value being together?
The argument is not that remote work has stopped working. At the “The Power of Proximity” panel at Wave by Vento in Turin, Varza said that Station F was seeing more people come in since the AI boom and that many teams were embracing physical presence. Blake said building products and engaging prospective customers online had become easier, while trust still formed in person. The Next Web reported both remarks on October 8, 2026; they are speakers’ observations, not results from a workforce survey.
Proximity can mean more than sharing an office
Varza described proximity in three parts: people, information and serendipity. Repeat founders may use established networks to open doors, while chance meetings can connect people who would not otherwise meet. Her point was that relationships can be encouraged by a setting, but not reliably engineered.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Blake said founders who attend Anthropic events want to meet builders confronting similar problems, learn from more experienced people and find access to capital. In this view, being in the same place is useful when it creates meaningful conversations or introductions—not simply because a team is physically present.
#1 Best Overall
- High-Performance AI Processor：The MS-02 Ultra features an Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX (24C/24T, up to 5.5 GHz, 13 TOPS NPU), delivering fast and efficient performance for AI inference, algorithm development, and media workloads. A PCIe x16 expansion slot supports desktop-class GPU upgrades for advanced model training and accelerated computing tasks. It's ideal for creators, engineers, and teams handling intensive parallel workloads.
- 4 × M.2 PCIe 4.0 + 4 × DDR5 SODIMM slots:Four DDR5 SODIMM slots support up to 256 GB of memory, while ECC helps maintain data integrity in mission-critical environments. Four PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots support up to 24 TB of storage, supporting RAID 0/1/5/10, combining high-speed performance with data protection. It allows for the creation of independent scratch disks, media libraries, and project drives, providing high-throughput for production workflows.
- PCIe & USB 4.0 v2: Up to three PCIe slots can be equipped, including a dual-slot x16 GPU. The main slot supports PCIe 5.0, meeting the needs of high-bandwidth creative and computing workloads. USB 4.0 v2 (80Gbps) supports high-bandwidth external storage and displays.
- Ultra-fast Networking: Wi-Fi 7 further enhances wireless performance with next-generation speeds and low-latency stability. Intelligent bandwidth switching optimizes throughput in different network environments, ensuring optimal performance for enterprise or local networks. Dual 25GbE ports (providing up to approximately 3.125 GB/s bandwidth, about 25 times faster than traditional 1GbE), enabling seamless large-scale file transfers and parallel computing. 10GbE and 2.5GbE ports, with support for Intel vPro technology, ensure enterprise-grade remote management and deployment flexibility.
- Server-grade thermal architecture: Utilizing a dedicated CPU/GPU airflow design, equipped with a 6-pipe dual-fan cooler, it maintains stable performance even under sustained loads, delivering up to 140W Turbo power while maintaining a 100W TDP, and operating with noise levels as low as 36 dB. An integrated 350W power supply ensures stable and reliable output for demanding computing tasks and fully loaded extended configurations.
Growing teams may have different reasons to gather
Blake cited ElevenLabs as an example of a company that started fully remote and opened offices as it grew. He also noted that go-to-market employees can benefit from working near teammates and learning from one another. That illustrates one company’s path and a possible benefit for a particular function; it does not establish a preferred model for every startup.
What does Station F ask of participating teams?
Station F’s F/ai program permits hybrid teams, but Varza said participants must attend certain program moments. She argued that teams can miss needed momentum if they skip them. That is a program expectation, not evidence that Station F requires every participant to work on campus every day.
The campus has also built programming around access to AI companies and expertise. Station F says F/ai brings together 16 AI leaders and eight Tier-1 funds. Its January 2026 announcement of a partnership with OpenAI described on-campus sessions, regular discussions, and access to tools and credits. Anthropic’s July 22, 2026 Claude Founder House in Paris offered a founder cohort, a builder cohort, panels, office hours and hands-on building. These are examples of organized in-person opportunities; none shows that the programs caused a general shift in startup work locations.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
What do Station F’s figures say—and not say?
Station F’s own reports show how AI has become prominent on its campus, but the organization warns against treating the campus as a stand-in for the wider startup ecosystem. Varza wrote in June 2026 that Station F “is in no way representative of the entire ecosystem,” describing it instead as a partial snapshot.
Rank #3
- Professional AI & Creator Workstation: AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 GPU with 32GB GDDR6 is engineered for AI development, professional content creation, and compute-intensive workloads.
- Massive 32GB Memory Capacity: 32GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides ample bandwidth for large AI models, 8K video editing, and complex 3D rendering.
- Advanced RDNA 4 with AI Accelerators: 64 Compute Units with 3rd Gen Ray Tracing and dedicated 2nd Gen AI Accelerators for groundbreaking AI performance and visual computing.
- Professional Blower Cooling: Efficient single blower design exhausts heat directly out of the chassis, ideal for multi-GPU workstation and server configurations.
- Enterprise-Grade Thermal Solution: Vapor chamber heatsink with industrial Honeywell PTM7950 thermal interface material ensures reliable cooling under sustained professional loads.
| Station F figure | What it describes |
|---|---|
| €1.5 billion raised across 136 funding rounds in 2025 | Funding reported by Station F for its campus companies; the organization called it a campus record. |
| About 80% of campus companies in 2025 | Station F’s estimate of the share that were AI companies. |
| 77% in 2026 | Campus companies that said AI reduced their hiring needs, according to Station F. |
| Over 90% in 2026 | Companies on campus that Station F said used Anthropic models; the organization cautioned that model preferences can shift quickly. |
| Average founder age: 36 in 2026, 33 in 2025 and 31 in 2018 | Station F’s reported campus averages. |
| 70 nationalities represented in 2025 | Station F’s count for its campus. |
These are institutional figures about Station F companies, not independently audited measures of all startups. They also do not measure office attendance. The reports offer context about this particular campus, including its concentration of AI companies and international founders, but cannot show that AI has made startups generally more office-based.
How should founders weigh remote, hybrid and campus-based work?
The speakers describe potential benefits rather than ranking work models by results. A founder deciding whether to join an in-person program or spend more time on campus can weigh the trade-offs directly:
Rank #4
- FAST RUNS IN THE FAMILY — The 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M5 Pro or M5 Max chip brings next-generation speed and powerful on-device AI to personal, professional, and creative tasks. With all-day battery life, double the starting storage,* and a breathtaking Liquid Retina XDR display, it’s pro in every way.*
- BUCKLE UP — Along with a next-generation CPU, faster unified memory, and up to 2x faster SSD storage,* M5 Pro and M5 Max feature a more powerful GPU with a Neural Accelerator built into each core, delivering faster AI performance and on-device training capabilities. So you can blaze through demanding workloads at mind-bending speeds.
- BUILT FOR AI — Apple silicon, and every major component that powers it, is designed to run demanding on-device AI workloads like LLM inference and training. And Apple Intelligence helps you write, express yourself, and get things done effortlessly with groundbreaking privacy protections at every step.*
- ALL-DAY BATTERY LIFE — MacBook Pro delivers the same exceptional performance whether it’s running on battery or plugged in.*
- MACOS RUNS APPS FAST — All your go-to apps run lightning fast in macOS, including built-in apps like FaceTime and Messages. Plus, built-in virus protection and free software updates help keep your Mac running smoothly and securely.
- Peer access: Will the setting put you in regular contact with founders tackling comparable problems, or are those connections already available remotely?
- Structured introductions: Does the program offer useful access to mentors, experienced operators, experts or investors? Look for specific sessions and introductions rather than assuming proximity alone will deliver them.
- Attendance burden: What travel, time and scheduling costs come with required events or regular campus presence?
- Flexibility: How much control does the team retain over where and when it works outside mandatory program moments?
The right balance depends on what a team needs and what the program actually provides. In-person time may be especially valuable when it creates access or learning that is difficult to reproduce online; the sources do not establish that campus-based work produces better startup outcomes.
Does this show that AI startups are returning to offices?
No broad return is established by the available evidence. The Next Web account contains panel remarks, a description of an F/ai attendance expectation and company or event examples. It does not report a survey, a series tracking startup headcounts, office-occupancy data, or a comparison of performance between remote and office-based startups.
Best Value
- 【High-Performance APU】The MS-S1 MAX features an AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 APU, integrating a Zen 5 architecture CPU (up to 5.1GHz, 16C/32T, 64M L3 Cache), an RDNA 3.5 GPU, and an NPU (50 TOPS). The total system output is 126 TOPS. It provides powerful parallel computing capabilities for demanding AI workflows. It is ideal for running local LLMs, multimodal models, and computationally intensive tasks
- 【128GB UMA Memory】Equipped with up to 128GB of LPDDR5x-8000MT/s unified memory, it enables the CPU and GPU to access a shared, high-bandwidth memory pool with extremely low latency. Ideal for large-scale AI inference, 3D workloads, and complex timelines in video editing. It eliminates traditional VRAM bottlenecks, ensuring smoother data transfer during high-intensity computations. The UMA design maximizes performance stability under high loads
- 【Flexible Expansion】The MS-S1 MAX features USB4 V2 (up to 80Gbps), dual 10GbE LAN, HDMI 2.1 (up to 8K60), a full-length PCIe x16 expansion slot, and dual M.2 slots supporting up to 16TB RAID 0/1. Wi-Fi 7 provides stronger signal coverage and a more stable wireless experience. The slide-out design facilitates upgrades and maintenance. It easily adapts to personal, studio, or rack-mount enterprise environments
- 【High-Efficiency Cooling System】Utilizing an aerospace-grade aluminum alloy chassis, copper base plate, six heat pipes, dual turbine fans, and advanced PCM thermal conductive material, it maintains stable cooling performance even under continuous load. This system supports 130W continuous power and 160W peak power operation, with a built-in 320W power supply. It boasts multiple global certifications including CCC, FCC, UL, CE, and UKCA, ensuring stable and reliable operation in various environments
- 【Cluster Design】Two MS-S1 MAX units can be configured as a dual-unit cluster to run a large 235B Q4 model locally, achieving an output speed of 10.87 tok/s. Supporting 2U rack deployment, multiple MS-S1 MAX units can be cascaded into a distributed cluster to create a high-efficiency AI computing center. A cluster of four MS-S1 MAX units successfully ran a DeepSeek-R1 671B Q4 large model. A reserved cluster power-on interface allows for unified start-up and shutdown
The narrower conclusion is that some founders and startup programs see value in deliberately gathering people as AI tools make parts of building and customer engagement easier to do online. Whether that translates into a wider shift in work location remains unmeasured in these sources.
Quick Recap
Sources
- The Next Web: Station F and Anthropic say the AI boom is drawing startups back in person, October 8, 2026.
- STATION F: STATION F after 9 years and 9000+ startups, June 24, 2026.
- STATION F: STATION F 2025: a year marked by AI leaders, record-breaking funding, and more repeat & international entrepreneurs, December 22, 2025.
- STATION F: STATION F partners with OpenAI, January 12, 2026.
- Anthropic: Claude Founder House Paris, July 22, 2026.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
