In practice
It includes expected integrations, long-open bugs, slow workflows and friction people have learned to work around. This work may not create a new headline feature, but it decides whether the product feels dependable.
Floor work isn't the same as expansion. Raising the ceiling adds possibility. Raising the floor removes reasons not to use what already exists.
Why it matters for product builders
Customers notice the floor every day. A product can have impressive features and still lose people because the ordinary path is slow or unreliable.
What changes in AI-first products
The economics of floor work changed most. Small fixes, expected integrations and quality-of-life improvements that once lost the effort argument may now fit into an afternoon.
That raises the standard customers should expect. Known friction is harder to defend when the cost of removing it has collapsed.