I have found that many conversations that would have been public in an office setting are now held in private chats, or in specialized channels that particularly newcomers won't be a part of.

Additionally, someone who's new is much easier to spot and thus be reminded of when they're physically proximate. Someone new on chat who doesn't have much to contribute yet can very easily vanish, so while they may be able to pull information from others, much less information will be deliberately pushed their way.

I'm not saying it's impossible, but we have millennia of culture and evolution built around in-person interactions.

>> I have found that many conversations that would have been public in an office setting are now held in private chats

I haven't seen that. What type of conversations that used to be public are you seeing being moved to private now that things are done through chat?

Any time someone wants something from me specifically, or vice versa.

Exactly .