I do not agree with you on drawing a line between socialism - or more precisely communism - and any potential way of structuring a company and democratic decision-making based on equal shares in that company's value. Flatness does not necessarily means not having a functional organizational structure. But rather not having subordinate-supervisor relationships. A functional group composed of individuals having the same seniority and position - but different roles and experience - can well be efficient and competitive. Even a higher level than classic hierarchies if the task they are working on requires more creativity and intuition or is highly interdisciplinary.