This article was absolutely fascinating, in particular because it compared traditional worker co-ops with Valve's unusual horizontal-style organization. I'm a former worker-owner at a tech startup (we were organized exactly as he described traditional co-ops, basically we all owned the firm but were hierarchical) and based on my experiences there I think the only way a truly spontaneous structure such as Valve' could work is in the high-tech or "professional" sector; I think the average person (especially those lacking college education) has a very difficult time deciding how to best be productive. I'm not saying they couldn't co-own a business - on the contrary, I think it is the way many businesses should be run! But a strict managerial structure is essential in organization differently-minded individuals (in my experience).