Sums it up nicely. My experience with open office, I despised. Impossible to have any focused train of thought. I found in the morning and during the day it was constantly disruptive. Headphones are a bandaid that makes it worse most of the time. But during the evening, when there was less of us having some company around actually helped productivity as you're not normally functioning 100% by then anyways. There was an ebb and flow but an office that is designed strictly open or strictly opposite both seem bad. There should be a balance of common, colaborative space and isolation focus. I also find that most office designs have excessive lighting, where the color temp and dimming is unadjustable. There is no way to just have screen light mixed only with natural light during daylight hours. I think workers should have the ability to isolate in a tiny room sometimes, ability to work in a more collaborative space when they find it suitable, but also have time to sit at a desk in a space that is semi isolated but still somewhat open. I don't understand the drive to go to either extreme and not offer any flexibility.

The wants of the few outweigh the needs of the many.

The most important want is that of the executive who can open the door of his office and gaze out at the sea of reportees and down-levels assigned under him in the corporate org chart. After all, he's the one who decides on office layout and WFH policies.