> When I look back on hallway conversations, I can't think of many that really mattered. Actual important decisions are typically not made by IC engineers

Not that I’m itching to get back in an office (I’ve been remote most of my career), but this really depends on the environment. I’ve seen some really pivotal changes happen simply because someone happened to yak about it, or overheard such a yak and jumped in.

Usually these changes have been mostly technical in nature and under the purview of the engineers. But sometimes they’ve significantly changed product direction.