Well, I definitely think an open plan workplace is stupid, and that sitting people too close to each other is also a bad idea. Separate from that, I find it very difficult to function in such environments. I don't know why all these engineering startups (engineering is notorious for introverts) are employing these stupid things to force people to talk to each other or to save money, or whatever stupid reason they have for doing it. All you are doing is increasing stress, tension, misery, and workplace dissatisfaction. The idea should be to move away from the typical office environment and the typical etiquette/bullshit that everyone complains about and that Dilbert made it's name bringing to light to something that makes more sense. But instead they make the same problems worse, then claim that what they are doing fixes these problems.
Collaboration, collaboration, collaboration, collaboration, collaboration, collaboration, collaboration, collaboration, collaboration, collaboration, collaboration, collaboration. These idiots can take anything that's fairly straightforward, or that makes sense, and butcher it until it's just more of the same old thing. Collaboration, done well, can be a good thing, but then, as always, they find a way to shove it down everyone's throat until it becomes a source of pain and completely watered down and meaningless.
I also hate the forced socialization of modern engineering graduates. It seems they are being forced to be more social (do it or fail miserably), and are getting dumber for not being able to focus on learning. It's like they are trying to wire out introversion, or make introverts even more miserable or strained in everyday life. This is bullshit.