The problem is not that some managers think that it’s OK for software engineers to be interrupted frequently. The problem is that some managers think that freq

The problem is not that some managers think that it’s OK for software engineers to be interrupted frequently. The problem is that some managers think that frequently interrupting software engineers is a feature of startup culture. I once worked for a startup where I was interrupted frequently. My boss often worked remotely, while I was in the office every day. If I tried to carve out periods to write code where I ignored slack and text messages, my boss would call people in the office to interrupt me. If I put on headphones to isolate from the sound, people would come wave their hands in my face or tap me on the shoulder. When I explained that I needed periods where I was not interrupted, I was told by the director of software that I “didn’t understand how startups work” and that I was “acting like a girl”. I quit, and shortly after I quit the company went out of business.