4 ms·

Yikes, that open office picture looks like my nightmares.

sli 8y ago
Took me a second to realize you didn't mean, well, OpenOffice. I'll have to second your "yikes," that looks like a really distracting and very echoy place to work. I'd never get anything substantial done with any reasonable speed.
walshemj 8y ago
All those hard surfaces looks like it would be a noisy environment.
easymovet 8y ago
The justification I hear for ignoring the data against open offices is: "Every other unicorn has an office like this and they get work done so why can't we"?
- mandelbrotwurst 8y ago
  In a place like SF where office space is as expensive as it is, I wouldn't be shocked if the savings in rent from this kind of floor plan outweigh any productivity losses and I'd bet that is a primary reason why there are so many open offices. Edit: That said, that one definitely doesn't look like the most efficient use of space.
  - mmt 8y ago
    That seems unlikely. I think they're in Boston, but, even in New York, which, for office space is even more expensive than SF, the excuse that square footage is too expensive seems shaky, especially since it's been trotted out routinely over the past 3 decades. This blog post shows a credible calculation, even assuming remarkably low salaries (and a fairly credible $5/sqft): https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/blog/hr/2016/open-office-plans-are-a-lot-less-cost-effective-than-you-may-think https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/blog/hr/2016/... The real key, though, is at the end: > the calculation above doesn't count the cost of setting up the offices For an early startup, that cost, both in dollars and, perhaps most importantly time (move-in delay), could easily be prohibitive. Of course, once the company is past the early stage, it may just be habit or cargo cult.
  - deathanatos 8y ago
    > In a place like SF where office space is as expensive as it is You could always move. I for one would love more non-SF companies; it'd open up more options and opportunities to get off the sinking ship that is SF.
    - mandelbrotwurst 8y ago
      I would also love to see that, for a number of reasons.
loco5niner 8y ago
Double yikes - looks too similar to the office I'm sitting in right now. :-(
jefozabuss 8y ago
Tbh it's not that bad... after getting noise cancelling headphones.
- loco5niner 8y ago
  I have noise cancelling headphones(bose qc20s). They don't work well on voices. I actually ended up with tinnitus partly because of listening to noise cancelling headphones at work all day (also sinus issues at the time likely made me more susceptible). Now, I can't listen to music loud enough to drown out voices without it setting off my tinnitus). Headphones aren't the answer.
jgalentine007 8y ago
I've been trying to figure out just when tech offices switched from outcast ugly nerds hunched over a server to tea sipping hipsters getting ready for a sack race before hitting the gin bar. Does anyone with a family over age 30 work at these places?
tonyedgecombe 8y ago
Perhaps that's why the founder had to fly to New York just to read a book.

sli 8y ago

Took me a second to realize you didn't mean, well, OpenOffice. I'll have to second your "yikes," that looks like a really distracting and very echoy place to work. I'd never get anything substantial done with any reasonable speed.

walshemj 8y ago

All those hard surfaces looks like it would be a noisy environment.

easymovet 8y ago

The justification I hear for ignoring the data against open offices is: "Every other unicorn has an office like this and they get work done so why can't we"?

mandelbrotwurst 8y ago
In a place like SF where office space is as expensive as it is, I wouldn't be shocked if the savings in rent from this kind of floor plan outweigh any productivity losses and I'd bet that is a primary reason why there are so many open offices. Edit: That said, that one definitely doesn't look like the most efficient use of space.
- mmt 8y ago
  That seems unlikely. I think they're in Boston, but, even in New York, which, for office space is even more expensive than SF, the excuse that square footage is too expensive seems shaky, especially since it's been trotted out routinely over the past 3 decades. This blog post shows a credible calculation, even assuming remarkably low salaries (and a fairly credible $5/sqft): https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/blog/hr/2016/open-office-plans-are-a-lot-less-cost-effective-than-you-may-think https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/blog/hr/2016/... The real key, though, is at the end: > the calculation above doesn't count the cost of setting up the offices For an early startup, that cost, both in dollars and, perhaps most importantly time (move-in delay), could easily be prohibitive. Of course, once the company is past the early stage, it may just be habit or cargo cult.
- deathanatos 8y ago
  > In a place like SF where office space is as expensive as it is You could always move. I for one would love more non-SF companies; it'd open up more options and opportunities to get off the sinking ship that is SF.
  - mandelbrotwurst 8y ago
    I would also love to see that, for a number of reasons.

loco5niner 8y ago

Double yikes - looks too similar to the office I'm sitting in right now. :-(

jefozabuss 8y ago

Tbh it's not that bad... after getting noise cancelling headphones.

loco5niner 8y ago
I have noise cancelling headphones(bose qc20s). They don't work well on voices. I actually ended up with tinnitus partly because of listening to noise cancelling headphones at work all day (also sinus issues at the time likely made me more susceptible). Now, I can't listen to music loud enough to drown out voices without it setting off my tinnitus). Headphones aren't the answer.

jgalentine007 8y ago

I've been trying to figure out just when tech offices switched from outcast ugly nerds hunched over a server to tea sipping hipsters getting ready for a sack race before hitting the gin bar. Does anyone with a family over age 30 work at these places?

tonyedgecombe 8y ago

Perhaps that's why the founder had to fly to New York just to read a book.