As an employee in a small early-stage startup, the open-office arrangement suited me very well. Being able to at least eavesdrop on all of the verbal conversat

As an employee in a small early-stage startup, the open-office arrangement suited me very well. Being able to at least eavesdrop on all of the verbal conversations from the tech challenges to product development to financial concerns kept the information flowing very well. Every member of the team could draw from the full context of our effort to strengthen their individual contribution. As a developer I felt I learned a lot more about the business and our customers than I would have if they had given me a quiet, productive office. I think it was a net win in the early years.