Not as confrontational, but had a similar experience with a collaborator. Due to the PIs' old habits, our collaboration meetings were telecons (telephone landlines, rather than zoom or other video conferencing). So at a conference, I see a poster from a member of the collaboration, having never seen the faces of many members, and go over to introduce myself. This other grad student was in poster presenter mode, so as I approach he immediately asks "So you are interested in [collaboration project], how much do you know about [project]" and I point to my name on the author's list and say "well, I am that guy".
I've been on both sides of that kind of interaction, though not in academia. I met my boss of six months for the first time like two weeks ago, tbh I'm not sure if I would recognize him (or anyone else on my "team" for that matter) if I saw him again right now.
Not as confrontational, but had a similar experience with a collaborator. Due to the PIs' old habits, our collaboration meetings were telecons (telephone landlines, rather than zoom or other video conferencing). So at a conference, I see a poster from a member of the collaboration, having never seen the faces of many members, and go over to introduce myself. This other grad student was in poster presenter mode, so as I approach he immediately asks "So you are interested in [collaboration project], how much do you know about [project]" and I point to my name on the author's list and say "well, I am that guy".
I've been on both sides of that kind of interaction, though not in academia. I met my boss of six months for the first time like two weeks ago, tbh I'm not sure if I would recognize him (or anyone else on my "team" for that matter) if I saw him again right now.