There are two factors at work here, the first being expensive commercial real estate is forcing companies to rethink how they utilize the space they have, but more significantly, people have less stuff.

While I may be atypical, I would wager that not by much. My “office kit” consists of my laptop, my mobile phone, a file folder that I keep my expenses in, and a notebook to scribble in. I have gone completely bedouin. And with wireless networking all I need is power and I have a workspace. While there is a credible argument to be made that open workspaces encourage disruptions, the evidence is mounting that people like them.

Like other valley stalwarts, including Intel and Sun Microsystems, Cisco is casting aside the cubicle culture that has thrived in the United States since the late 1960s. In its place, the company is embracing a new workplace design that saves space and money, and encourages collaboration among co-workers. [From San Jose Mercury News - Out of the box: Valley companies dump cubicles for open office spaces]