I also once (and only once) had a positive experience with an open office. At the first startup I worked at, the entire team of about 10 people sat in a ~700sq

I also once (and only once) had a positive experience with an open office. At the first startup I worked at, the entire team of about 10 people sat in a ~700sqft "war room." Computers and desks lined two of the walls, whiteboards lined the other two walls. Open space in the middle. Everyone was in a technical role. I was very junior at the time, but I learned a lot. I had the opportunity to listen to how the senior engineers discussed problems and the considerations they thought important. The writing and diagrams on the whiteboard were the reference for component interactions and process flow. The room was mostly quiet, except for technical discussion. It was easy to run end-to-end tests by simply talking to the person who owned the component at the other end of the stack. I learned a lot in that role. We were a small team focused on the same product. Every issue any one person ran into was within the scope of concern of every other person in that room. I think it was an effective setup.