90,000 applications, 50 free flights: Inside Hawaii’s big gamble on remote work

• The pandemic decimated tourism in Hawaii, exposing the islands’ dangerous dependence on visitors.
• A surge in working from home could give Hawaii a way to finally diversify its economy.
• The state’s now attracting remote workers from the mainland, while helping locals land new jobs.

Back in September, Sandra Kwan left San Francisco dreaming of the perfect Hawaiian life. The past five months haven’t disappointed.

A senior program manager at LinkedIn, Kwan works 7 to 3 from her apartment, which overlooks Waikiki’s surf breaks. In the late afternoons, she catches a few waves or goes scuba-diving or just sits on the beach, a three-minute walk away.

Depending on the weekend, she dives with pods of dolphins and reef sharks or scrambles up the island’s rocky ridges for panoramic views of the coastline. None of this would’ve been possible before the pandemic, when she worked out of LinkedIn’s office in San Francisco.