Friends and a social circle are complementary to professional socialisation. And no, going to meet-ups and conferences isn't a replacement either. It's very ni

Friends and a social circle are complementary to professional socialisation. And no, going to meet-ups and conferences isn't a replacement either. It's very nice to be able to discuss with colleagues impromptu about new projects, what they're working on, what new tech they're studying, etc. Or to walk into a discussion in the kitchen about a refactoring, new libraries, etc. But if one just stays on their chair X hours with their head in the monitor and never talks to anyone they won't miss the above either. Same for people working for 5 person start-ups where everyone knows what everyone else is doing.