[ThrustVectoring]

IMO, the fact that they're cheaper is only a justification. After all, most places are open-office rather than remote.

The big reason why management likes open office is, in my opinion, that those environments make them feel like they've got more oversight and control.

[georgeecollins]

I agree it isn't the cost. It's mostly that you can see what everybody is doing. If you don't have management or processes you trust, and a lot of new employees, you worry that you will have some kind of bad behavior. Also that its easy to move people around, which you do a lot when you are growing.

I work at a startup with open offices (my second) and the absenteeism blows me away. I really believe it is because the office is an unpleasant place to work. But hey, we have ping pong tables!