All the big tech companies I’ve spoke with over the past several months were still doing virtual “on site” interview loops.

Not even at the local branches ??

Many companies aren’t ginormous with branches everywhere.

Google Meet is cheaper than a flight & hotel room.

And yet all the examples so far have been of "ginormous" companies, haven't they ?

I hired on during the pandemic for what would be considered a ‘ginormous’ organization. I never went on-site for about 2 years. I believe my employer tried to mitigate it through more extensive reference checks and a very long probationary period.