As you mention, it would make little sense for academia to do this as a cost-cutting measure. The same goes for companies like Google or Facebook that are swimm

As you mention, it would make little sense for academia to do this as a cost-cutting measure. The same goes for companies like Google or Facebook that are swimming in cash. Is it that hard to believe that they're doing this because they value the additional opportunities for informal communication and collaboration that open-plan offices provide? I realize this is a polarizing topic, but personally I've always preferred working in open-plan spaces to having a private office for precisely that reason.