St(ai)rway to Heaven: Transforming Ladders into Steps for Everyone
Confession. I’m terrified of ladders.
Not heights —just ladders.
“Climbing the Corporate Ladder” never made sense to me. Who owns the rungs? Why are we all not on the same ladder? And the higher you go, the less stable ladders are. An accidental bump from below or a misstep, and you’re back on the floor. Ladders are exclusive, shaky, and uncertain. But stairs? Stairs are solid. We all see the same steps. They’re stable, filled in, and welcoming to everyone, regardless of ability. And when we’re talking about making progress, dashing up the stairs — together — that’s something I can get behind!
In a world where advancement is often depicted as a ladder — a structure with rungs that only some can reach — it’s time to reimagine the climb. Ladders can be precarious, intimidating, and exclusive, leaving many unable to take the next step. What if instead, we transformed those ladders into something everyone could navigate — a stairway, where each step is accessible, stable, and designed with everyone in mind?
The imagery of a ladder has often symbolized progress, but it also implies individualism and a sometimes dangerous ascent. Each rung can be a barrier, and the climb itself can be isolating. For those who aren’t in the right place, who aren’t tall enough or haven’t been given the chance, the ladder remains out of reach. Stairways, on the other hand, represent a shared journey. They are designed for people to walk side by side, to move together, and to help each other up. They are built with rails for support, and we can even add wheelchair lifts — ensuring no one is left behind.
From Rungs to Steps: A Collective Journey
The vision for synthetic intelligence — the true potential of AI — is not about individual acceleration alone. It’s not about creating tools that allow a few to reach the top more quickly. It’s about illuminating the entire structure, connecting each step, and building a stairway that everyone can climb. Imagine the rungs of a ladder being reconfigured, turned into wide steps that are stable enough for all. Imagine the handrails and support systems that allow even those who face challenges to rise.
When we dismantle the linguistic hegemony that often surrounds technology and innovation, we reveal that AI can be more than a tool for efficiency. It can be a tool for equity — a way to ensure that each step we take upward is inclusive. The ladder, with its narrow rungs and limited capacity, becomes a stairway designed for the many, not just the few.
Ladders Are About Speed, Stairways Are About Vision.
In our rush to embrace AI, many have focused solely on speed — how quickly we can scale the ladder. But what good is speed if the ladder leads to nowhere, or worse, if it’s out of reach for most people? The stairway metaphor is about true elevation — a collective rising where the pace is less important than the purpose, and where everyone has the opportunity to climb.
We must look beyond just creating new technologies for those who are already at the front. We need to ensure that every rung becomes a step, that every obstacle becomes an opportunity for someone else to join the journey. That’s the essence of transforming ladders into stairways. It’s about creating an inclusive ascent, where AI becomes the scaffolding that allows us all to rise — not just faster, but together.
Just like in the classic line from “Stairway to Heaven”:
Sometimes the rungs we chase aren’t what they seem,
And we realize what we truly need,
Is a path that lifts us all,
A stairway rising, step by step,
Where together, we ascend.
AI has the power to connect the rungs, to fill in the gaps, and to transform individual moments of progress into a stairway for everyone. It’s time to move beyond ladders, beyond solitary climbs, and to focus on building the stairway to heaven — one that lifts us all.
