A California-based artificial intelligence (AI) startup valued at about $29.3 billion is going viral for its unusual office rules that don’t allow employees to wear shoes in the workplace. Cursor was founded in 2022 by four Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) graduates, including Indian-origin co-founder Aman Sanger.A tech worker in San Francisco posted a photo of multiple pairs of shoes left on the floor outside his office, and the post went viral. “The funny thing is that everyone in San Francisco immediately knew which office this was,” Cupertino developer Andre Landgraf wrote on social media platform X, along with the image. Cursor is known for developing smart, AI-powered code editors that help programmers write, edit, and understand code faster. The company attracted significant investment and completed a $2.3 billion financing in November 2025, bringing its valuation to approximately $29.3 billion.The shoeless office trend is gaining traction in the tech world, with supporters saying it makes the workplace more relaxed and comfortable. Cursor’s Rules has sparked an online discussion about modern startup office culture and dress codes.
Social media reaction:
- Good stuff ships from this office
- This could be a startup office or a meditation studio
- As someone from Europe, this is the only logical thing to do – wear slippers inside the office and leave shoes on the door outside. Why is this controversial?
- There are always people who wish they didn’t wear shoes
- I’m from India but we don’t do that in the workplace either
 startup valued at about $29.3 billion went viral for its unusual office rule that does not allow emplo.){kind=link}