Maria shows up to work four times a year, just for the quarterly presentation, then vanishes. Yet leadership loves her.  This week, we investigate why charismatic communicators advance faster than dedicated workers - and what that means in an AI-driven workplace.  From walking briskly with papers to scheduling empty whiteboard sessions, we explore the corporate caricatures who excel at performing more than doing, and why that might matter more than ever.



Hosts: 



Matt Sunbulli

⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunbulli/⁠

⁠https://www.firstdraft.vc⁠



Aaron Calafato

Follow Aaron's 7 Minute Stories Podcast ⁠



Leah Ova

⁠Follow Leah on TikTok ⁠



Editorial:

Matt Sunbulli

Brooks Borden

Ken Wendt 

Aaron Calafato



Senior Audio Engineer: 

Ken Wendt



Research: 

Zaid Safe

Matt Sunbulli

Aaron Calafato

Work From Anywhere? Be Careful What You Wish For

Welcome to The Lonely Office: an award winning podcast about making sense of the increasingly blurry line between work and life, brought to you by Glassdoor. We tackle real workplace stories sourced from anonymous firsthand accounts—like the rise of job ghosting, the truth behind unlimited PTO, and dealing with a nightmare boss. We also share insider advice on layoffs, severance negotiations, and wild work stories, from candidates vaping in interviews to employees fired over free speech. The professional world can be chaotic, but you don’t have to navigate it alone
TLO is hosted by Matt Sunbulli (serial tech entrepreneur, Founder @ Fishbowl and First Draft AI), Aaron Calafato (Storyteller, Narrative Designer & Content Strategist), and Leah Ova (content creator and advertising executive), with special appearances from industry thought leaders and economists.