Reading this, I went back and reread that part of the article. That changes this a bit, and makes it more palatable for me. If you get lucky and get into a floor with a bunch of people who are driven, smart, and working on complex problems I can see this being better than a year in college for learning work habits and skills.I think that part of these collaborative work environments appeal is that you aren't surrounded by your co-workers per-say, but rather by fellow virtual employees. Meaning that there may be less pressure to make sure "Barry" doesn't work harder than you because Barry doesn't even work at the same company or industry as you. However, the potential to collaborate across industries, pick up best practices and network like a mo-fo is ample. I think it's an awesome idea.