That is one way to look at it -- a rather unproductive one, but you are welcome to it. Lots of great teams work at large companies and have no control over the first pass of resumes.
The reasons are often somewhat complex. Their application tracking software only supports word. Their IT department has sent word from atop the mountain to only accept .docx because it works with their AV and a bad virus got into the company via PDF last year.
It isn't the people you are going to be working with that are the problem, it is the people who defend the outer ring of large companies -- IT and HR departments.
As mh_yam said, if they're only accepting .docx, and if someone else controls the first stage of the recruitment process, then maybe these aren't the right companies for some people.
Larger companies may do this, and if you like larger companies, this is probably ok. Not for me.
Though I have to say it isn't unproductive. Unless you're unemployed. But if you're employed and you're wanted by numerous companies, what is unproductive about picking the right one?
Job candidates have a zillion "well if they don't want to work with me I don't want to work there" rules.
But companies also have a zillion "well if they don't want to work with me I don't want them working here" rules.
Listen, sometimes in the real world you have to do something a little unpleasant every now and then. Candidates should bend a little to employers, and employers should bend a little for candidates.
This only applies when you're in a position where if you don't get the job, it's a bad thing. But when you get to a certain point, getting a job is easy. It's getting the right job which is hard.
If you call them and let them know they're not accepting your format of resume, ask them if you can send a physical version, and get a negative response, then it's the companies loss, surely.
The reasons are often somewhat complex. Their application tracking software only supports word. Their IT department has sent word from atop the mountain to only accept .docx because it works with their AV and a bad virus got into the company via PDF last year.
It isn't the people you are going to be working with that are the problem, it is the people who defend the outer ring of large companies -- IT and HR departments.