You just don’t require 40 weeks in an office to make friends. You can, and should, go to social gatherings outside of work. Including ones where you’re exclusively surrounded by complete strangers.

Friendships often form out of shared experiences. Work is one kind of shared experience. So is joining a club, or going to a concert.

I think a lot of people don’t do those things, because they’re so tired from work. Which is understandable, but then you have to make friends at work. And that’s really not ideal.

I'm sure there are great friendships among slaves and prisoners too, that doesn't mean you should be thankful to be one.

me too, but its the vast minority of all companies i have been in the past 35 years. i don't want to sit in a room or even building with the rest of the drones of whom i have no clue what they are doing there expect burning money and wasting time of others.

but sure there are enough exceptions to turn up once in a blue moon to have drinks with the new peeps who seem nice on slack.

Whats cynical about it? You work with people who you have befriended, probably because you have the sort of personality where that works.

Not everyone is like that. It's not cynicism but a fact of life that some people do not get on with people you find in tech companies, IT departments, offices, etc or do not enjoy the environment.

You should examine your own narrow view of this and realize that there are many types of people out there other than people like you. That someone else experiences life in a different way isn't a personal failing.