Yeah you can never get away from the fact that programming is best done in isolated concentration, and then occasionally gathering in a group to share insights/

Yeah you can never get away from the fact that programming is best done in isolated concentration, and then occasionally gathering in a group to share insights/gather feedback. Just like academia and every other field that requires concentration and deep thought. If pairing would be effective, why don't people do this in other knowledge jobs, it's incredibly frustrating, exhausting and wasteful, just another attempt to dumb down programming to assembly line factory work. The little knowledge sharing that you get is much better shared in different ways. I prefer to pair up when there's a decision that needs to be made, or when stuck. This can be much better to work on by two people, to get a second opinion or a fresh pair of eyes. But as soon as this is resolved and the path forward is clear, I immediately stop pairing and go back to work individually, because it's much better.