Trouble with words on a page is that you can't convey all that other stuff. When I read that I read it as jokey and also a camaraderie thing on the first day.
It sounded good to me.
Other people are reading it as a dictat. It sounded bad to them.
But Joel just explained what he meant explicitly, you can't keep on challenging him after that.
Hmmm.... he said that people has misread the article. Yes, later he apologize if he hasn't made himself clear. I think that most of us that got infuriated by the article have had different experiences: bore or jerk coworkers, crowded offices, unhealthy food... the reasons that edw519 has enumerated.
Joel is a very influential person. And the perspective that some boss in a not-so-nice environment as Fog Creek understand the "policy" like we have and "copy" it is really really scary.
I interpreted that as the new people don't need to sit by themselves in the corner since they would get invited to lunch from day 1.
It could definitely get lonely if a new person starts and they don't develop a regular lunch routine with a group when they are used to it (from their previous job?).
People who actually prefer to sit alone and aren't making this up should be able to sit alone (or do their own thing).
It sounded good to me.
Other people are reading it as a dictat. It sounded bad to them.
But Joel just explained what he meant explicitly, you can't keep on challenging him after that.