Having only ever worked for startups or consulting agencies, this is really weird to me. Across 6 different companies I almost always interfaced directly with the users of the apps I built to understand their pain points, bugs, etc. And I've always ever been an IC. I think it's a great way to build empathy for the users of your apps.

Of course, if you're a multi billion dollar conglomerate, empathy for users only exists as far as it benefits the bottom line.