The thing is, if you ask any rank-and-file Google engineer, they'll totally agree that the sweatshop layout -- oops, I mean the open-office layout -- is hugely

The thing is, if you ask any rank-and-file Google engineer, they'll totally agree that the sweatshop layout -- oops, I mean the open-office layout -- is hugely detrimental to productivity and morale. So it's not like the company isn't aware; it's just that they seem to believe the negative effects aren't bad enough to offset the cost of more office space (or the opportunity cost of slower hiring)