Frankly, the vast majority of people I meet in Pick-up groups aren't interesting in any way. They don't interact, or they spend most of their time criticizing the way I do my job, instead of concentrating on doing their own. My circle of friends is small, and to do raids, we most often have to pick up three or four randoms. Not particularly enjoyable.

I'd rather just run with my friends in content we can handle on our own. Who really cares about the gear?