It sells some of the most hideous things devised by man polyester Persian carpets, plastic executive desks and plastic gilded bookshelves.

ECONOMIST: Schumpeter

Classrooms might feel a bit more like Perez's machine than tidy rows of desks, said Gerald Wheeler, interim executive director of the National Science Teachers Association.

CNN: This 'Mousetrap' can crush a car -- and teach physics

At Morningstar desks are right next to each other, and cube-dwelling Chief Executive Joe Mansueto sits on a floor with the company's investment services group.

FORBES: Leadership