His mention of the open floor plan thing resonated with me a LOT. I have 2 coworkers who have a tendency to get into discussions who work in the same circle as me in our open floor plan. It makes it really hard to concentrate when they're constantly yelling back and forth behind me. I usually just put on some headphones and zone out but the obsession with open floor plans as somehow innovative is crazy. It's backward. "I want these people to think effectively and clearly and not have distractions. I know! Let's try an open floor plan!" I'm sure that's not the thought process but I can't imagine, other than control or cost, what the other one would be that would cause an open floor plan to be chosen.

All of the above said, it's not just them that are distracting. It's literally just the effect of the open floor plan. Someone is talking 4-5 desks down and your brain has to make the constant decision not to listen to them.