> I wonder if the difference isn't time period as much as career experience.

Yep. I had this leave-me-alone experience in the late 2010's. Again in ~2015. Yet again in 2020.

Actually I get this experience any time I join a new organization and am not The Guy for anything yet. I have no idea what's going on, so why would you bother _me_? You wouldn't. You'd let me get on with work.

But as time passes, I know more and more about how things work, who knows what, where things are, what the code is doing, past and future decisions, ... suddenly I'm your best bet to get quick answers to tough questions. Of course you're gonna bother me!