People think open offices are some sort of hidden conspiracy that's been set up to make their lives hell. There's no conspiracy; open office floorpans require less floor space per employee and are thus cheaper. Think about all the additional space required to have walls, a hallway connecting offices, etc.
Firms are not stupid. I am not doubting that there is a productivity hit due to distracting noise and motion, but it's probably not outweighed by the reduction in real estate cost.
It's not a conspiracy - removing privacy looks nice on the surface, until you realize that every conversation you have at work is now in public corp space. Any jokes you might have told, any friendship type things are now scrutinized at the highest levels by managers who are only "cells" away - in the same big room.
Open offices feel like a real dick move by any company that uses it to corral employees as close together as possible.
Maybe if they have reasonable break rooms it's not so bad, but how many companies give you more than the bare minimum space you need to work?
Firms are not stupid. I am not doubting that there is a productivity hit due to distracting noise and motion, but it's probably not outweighed by the reduction in real estate cost.