Are you familiar with the trope of "cargo cult" in tech (not the real anthropology concept)? Have you seen how people toss it around for pathological processes like "security theater", "agile waterfalls", etc? Frustration can lead people to feel this same way about meetings as time killers.

It can feel lucky to be matched up in groups and meetings where everyone clicks and they feel productive. Some people and contexts can be like a catalyst, making you feel smarter and more capable of tackling problems. Conversely, some can be suppressive, making you feel like you are in the penalty box waiting while the game clock is running out. The most difficult situation, I think, is the gray area where different participants may be having these completely different experiences of the same meetings. It reminds me a bit of the Chinese Room thought experiment. At a certain point, is the meeting room still "doing knowledge work" when participants are just going through the motions?

I've come to see this as a very general aspect of the human condition. It's a little bit meta. Perhaps an existential angst that leaks out when people start to recognize how much ritual permeates their daily lives, and how much these rituals paper over gaps in awareness, knowledge, communication, and agreement. I don't think this moment of doubt is unique to tech work. But, perhaps the self-selected participants in the field are (statistically) prone to experience it first in their careers?