I think most individual engineers are more productive coders in a private room. And here, many of us retire often to a comfy chair or a quiet corner when we need uninterrupted focus.
But my team is far more productive across non-coding tasks by being adjacent to each other. And anybody who felt very strongly about not sitting with the team would, in my opinion, not fit in as well here.
My point is: the feeling would perhaps be mutual. And it's OK: every person is not made to work at every company.
I could never do my work in a vacuum: the time I spent collaborating with the rest of the team (and with other teams) is huge. I'm actually pretty extroverted.
One key factor in switching jobs last year was the chance to work with a team of talented coders, instead of simply being the sole software engineer at my old company.
What I (and others, I think) react strongly to is the concept of workplaces where there are no private workspaces (or not enough private workspaces) for those times when solo work is what's required.
But my team is far more productive across non-coding tasks by being adjacent to each other. And anybody who felt very strongly about not sitting with the team would, in my opinion, not fit in as well here.
My point is: the feeling would perhaps be mutual. And it's OK: every person is not made to work at every company.