I was hired by IBM in the 80s to be a systems engineer. Our office had an open floor plan.
It was impossible to concentrate while reading, with coworkers talking on the phone & with each other. On the phone I had to cover my other ear to have a conversation. There was absolutely no way to have a private conversation in that room. Coworkers would often interrupt each other with jokes & conversation. Many of us would find an empty room to do paper work or read technical documentation - hiding from the noise. Meetings with customers were usually done in the break room.
All in all it was a very unproductive environment to work. I saw no advantage to being surrounded by people who had other priorities & tasks. It was like trying to work at a cocktail party.
“It was like trying to work at a cocktail party.”
That is the perfect one-liner for open offices! Consider it stolen.
I used to say it is like trying to work at a rock concert.