Applied Intuition is worth $15 billion. The CEO still wants staff to clean their own office.

"Sometimes people will come to our office, and they'll say, 'Oh, like, it's like such a clean office, you guys must have like this giant cleaning staff,' and it's like, actually, we clean our office. Our employees are aware of their surroundings. I think there's a direct line between being quiet and alone and cleaning your desk - and well-written software."

"Younis said the practices were inspired in part by his time living in Japan, where students clean their own classrooms - a ritual meant to instill humility and awareness. Applied Intuition's software helps manufacturers such as Toyota and Volkswagen develop and test autonomous driving systems, and it also supports defense programs."

Applied Intuition, a multi-billion-dollar AI software company for autonomous vehicles and aircraft, implements unconventional workplace practices including weekly employee-led office cleaning sessions and mandatory shoe removal at entry. CEO Qasar Younis attributes these practices to his time in Japan, where students clean classrooms to develop humility and awareness. Younis connects these practices to the company's engineering culture, arguing that environmental consciousness and orderliness directly correlate with well-written software. The company serves major manufacturers like Toyota and Volkswagen in autonomous driving development. Younis frames these practices as intentional cultural borrowing rather than corporate eccentricity, drawing parallels to Steve Jobs' philosophy on creative inspiration.

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