It was a cloudy Tuesday morning when I first stepped into Redactedâs sleek new office. The lobby was a blend of minimalist design and cutting-edge tech aesthetics, everything youâd expect from a forward-thinking company striving to push boundaries.
But as I approached the elevator, something unusual caught my eye.
Instead of the traditional number pad where I could simply press â10â for the tenth floor, I was greeted with a small digital panel displaying only the digits 1 and 0⊠Binary input required.
“Wait, What?”
At Redacted, you donât just select a floor like any other building. Instead, you have to think a little, well⊠binary.
Need to get to the 10th floor? Put your engineering skills to work: 1010 in binary.
14th floor? Easy, 1110.
At first, it might seem like a puzzling inconvenience to anyone outside of the engineering world, but to those inside Redacted? Itâs a stroke of genius that speaks volumes about their culture.
Engineering is Everywhere đĄ
The elevator was, ironically, a metaphorâa microcosm of what the company stands for. It was as if Redacted was telling every employee, client, and visitor from the get-go:
âHere, we solve puzzles. We embrace complexity. And we take joy in understanding the logic behind things.â
The binary elevator didnât just end up in the building by accident.
âOne day the team was talking about how embedded systems and low-level programming languages are fundamental to everything we do,â says Dan.
âWe wanted an everyday reminder of the importance of binary logic and computational thinking, even in our physical spaces.â
Everyday activities like riding an elevator are now an opportunity for intentional thoughtâwhether you’re an engineer steeped in binary, or a non-technical member of the team who suddenly has to recalibrate your thinking.
This little innovation further embeds the company ethos: problem-solving starts the moment you step into the office.
A Symbol of Engineering Excellence đ
The binary elevator is more than just a cool feature. Itâs become a symbol for the companyâs approach towards innovation and engineering, serving as a daily reminder:
You need to think critically and approach challenges from different angles.
You donât just memorize floors, you understand them deeply. How many times have you converted your floor number to binary, really?
Details matter. Whether youâre coding a line of asynchronous logic, debugging a microservice, or⊠well, just getting to the right floor.
And thatâs the trick: beyond just convenience, the binary elevator serves as a cultural hack to keep engineers thinking creatively and technically at the same time.
An employee laughed during a chat by the coffee machine:
âOne visitor thought there was a technical malfunction, but for us, itâs a daily challenge weâve come to love. My first day here, I had to google âbinary to decimal converterâ on my phone, but now I breeze through it without thinking!â
New Hires and Visitors Go Through a Learning Curve đ€
Sure, it takes a while for people to adjustâthereâs always that initial moment of uncertainty for newcomers. But thatâs exactly what makes it so on-brand for Redacted.
For new hires, figuring out the binary input on their first day is a rite of passage. It signals that youâre entering a place where constant learning and curiosity are encouraged. Itâs a small but reinforcing message:
âYou belong here if you love to solve problems at their core.â
Visitors usually need a helping hand, but it often sparks conversations that lead to building excitement about the work Redacted is doing.
As one recent partner said after his trip to the office:
âAs a visitor, it’s a little confusing at first, but then I quickly realized it was the cleverest way Iâd ever been reminded to think more carefully about my inputs!â
Part of the Everyday Fun đ
This quirky little feature has become a part of the teamâs daily banter, too. People joke in binary. When asked in the hallway where someone is headed, a quick âIâm off to 1011â gets a knowing nod. It has created a sense of camaraderie among employeesâa little inside joke that drives home the shared expertise and culture of the place.
Whatâs more, itâs a reminder to never settle for the obvious answer. The binary elevator may seem like a simple tweak, but the underlying message is profound:
Great engineers think beyond the surface.
The Redacted Takeaway đ
Culture isnât something you hang on the wall. Itâs something you live every day. At Redacted, the binary elevator is a small but significant way to show that engineering is centralânot just to what they buildâbut to how they think, collaborate, and grow.
So next time you visit Redacted and press 0110 for the 6th floor, maybe pause for a second. You might just crack a smile and think, “I’m in good company.”
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