PINEHURST, NC— A local remote worker arrived six minutes late to a video call this week after reportedly getting trapped in heavy two-factor authentication. According to witnesses, the man was fully prepared for the meeting until his laptop asked him to verify his identity using a phone that was sitting three feet away. The situation escalated when the verification code expired, the calendar link opened in the wrong browser, and his headphones connected to a different room. “I was basically in bumper-to-bumper traffic,” he explained, while staring at a spinning loading icon. Coworkers were reportedly understanding, noting that “tech issues” have officially replaced “car trouble” as the professional world’s most reliable delay explanation. Common causes now include: -Zoom needing an update -AirPods joining a previous call spiritually but not technically -The wrong Google account opening -A calendar invite hiding in another workspace -The microphone being muted in three separate places -The computer choosing that exact moment to become reflective about software permissions HR later confirmed the company would begin tracking virtual tardiness under a new category calledcommute-adjacent friction. At press time, the employee had finally joined the meeting but could not hear anyone, prompting the entire team to say, “Check your audio,” in perfect unison.