Ever walked into a Starbucks with those long communal tables and 10 people on laptops, with two people having a conversation, and others walking past every now

Ever walked into a Starbucks with those long communal tables and 10 people on laptops, with two people having a conversation, and others walking past every now and then? And you go to get your coffee and turn around, and now you're looking in the direction of 12 people, some of whom look up from what they're doing because they wonder what you're looking at. You go find a place to sit, set down your coffee, get out your laptop, and log in - only for Frank, the retired cab driver who is a regular here, to immediately strike up a conversation with you about "those fuckin' contractors who won't get shit done on my addition". It's not as cramped or loud, but it is awkward and distracting. It's definitely not the end of the world. But if working in a coffee shop full of people you see every day does not work for you, this is an unproductive floor plan. They had enough money that they could have built 10 different kinds of workspaces spread out in a building with five times the work space on the same property. Instead they built a hollow glass donut. Because: Steve Jobs.