I used to vehemently defend this idea. Had my solid group of 10 friends from college (still do) and hated being forced into becoming “friends” with work mates.

I used to vehemently defend this idea. Had my solid group of 10 friends from college (still do) and hated being forced into becoming “friends” with work mates. Then as life went on and many things changed, I entered the “it’s okay to make friends at work even though most of my friends are outside it” phase. I guess in a way that’s where I’m still at. I understand why some people make friends at work and accept that. I also encourage it in terms of company culture without ever imposing it (I hope?) Anyway, my current partner of ~1 year (for lack of a more precise term) is from work. And my best friend is on his way to joining us again. While in theory I would completely advise against this mix of business and pleasure, in practice it’s been working great for us, and we all work great together this way. Of course, sometimes it muddles decisions, especially when there are hierarchy differences, which there are. In conclusion: You shouldn’t generalize, and that’s about it. Live your life as you want — just be self-aware and think things through _just_ enough.