10 More Inventors Who Hated Their Own Creations
7. Bob Propst - Cubicles
Everyone knows what cubicles are and for the millions of people forced to work in them, they are almost universally hated. In fact, odds are you might be reading this very article in one in which case, you should really get back to work... but finish the article first!
Cubicles weren't always a thing; it took someone to invent the concept. That person was Bob Propst, a man who wanted to maximize efficiency and create a workspace where people could collaborate and share ideas with one another. The open office plan became a reality in the 1960s to "give knowledge workers a more flexible, fluid environment than the rat-maze boxes of offices."
Unfortunately, his plans didn't come to fruition in exactly the way he intended. Instead of working together, people in cubicles turned into quieter, less collaborative drones. It turns out, nobody wants to bother their coworkers... or be bothered by them, which leads folks to keep to themselves.
The concept was further doomed by large corporations seeking to limit costs while maximizing the use of space and Propst came to hate it. Eventually, his invention became something he despised, going so far as to say, "the cubiclizing of people in modern corporations is monolithic insanity."