You may be right, though I'd say more in perception than actuality. I'm not sure it actually is cheaper, since the amount saved is minimal and the lost product

You may be right, though I'd say more in perception than actuality. I'm not sure it actually is cheaper, since the amount saved is minimal and the lost productivity may be very high. However, in the land of externalized costs, that could be the reason. It's easier to point to the cost savings for cubicles or open offices and say "hey we saved that" than it is to point to the amount of software not written (or even harder to prove, written but lower in quality) and say "hey, we lost that".