Agreed. I can definitely see how a team that's used to working in physical proximity would need time and good direction to get used to such a drastic change in methods and environment, but that's simply a matter of acclimation, not an indictment of remote engagement.
We've been experimenting with remote workers for the last two years or so. Our team was used to work in the same place (in Paris), so it took a little bit of time to get used to, as we tried different ideas. Now it works really well with phone/video conferences, trello boards, github, remote pairing, and a (few) permanent chat rooms (thank you Freenode <3), etc.
I think the biggest complaint is that the offices sometimes feel empty to those who chose to work "on site". My take on this is "let's get smaller office space". Plus it costs less. :)
