Terms of use
last updated 2026-08-08
LADDER is a game. These terms exist so that stays uncomplicated. By installing or playing it you agree to them. If you buy the monthly plan, the subscription section below is the part that matters, so it is not buried.
The work is fiction
LADDER is a work of satire. The company in the game is fictional and never named; its characters and events are fictional. Any resemblance to your actual job is intentional as commentary, not a depiction of any real company or person.
Real products and tools referenced in jest (Claude, Cursor, and friends) are trademarks of their respective owners. LADDER is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of them.
Who this is for
LADDER is rated 13+. You must be at least 13 years old to play it, and if you are under the age of digital consent where you live, a parent or guardian has to agree to these terms on your behalf. There is nothing to sign up for and no way to message another player, so that is the whole of it.
The game
- The base game is free. Additional characters ship as paid one-time unlocks, and optional in-app purchases (Cognit bundles for the AI companion, and the Cognit+ monthly plan described below) are available.
- Purchases are processed by the App Store or Google Play under their terms. Refunds follow Apple's and Google's policies.
- Game content, balance, and features may change over time. That is live-ops, not a breach of anything.
- Saves are local; purchases are not. Your runs, your deck, and your settings live on your device, and we cannot restore progress lost with a deleted app or a lost device. What you bought is a different matter: character unlocks and an active subscription are tied to your App Store or Google Play account and survive a reinstall or a new device. Get them back with Settings → Purchases → Restore purchases, which is also offered on any paywall.
Cognit+, the auto-renewing subscription
- What it is. Cognit+ is an optional auto-renewing monthly subscription that grants a stipend of 6,500 Cognits every month. Cognits are the in-game allowance the AI companion spends per reply. They have no cash value, cannot be exchanged for money, and are not transferable.
- What it costs. Pricing is set per country by the App Store and Google Play, so the amount depends on where your store account is. The exact price, in your own currency and including tax, is always shown on the purchase sheet before you confirm.
- It renews by itself. Payment is charged to your App Store or Google Play account at confirmation of purchase, and the subscription renews automatically at the same price each month until you cancel. Your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours of the end of the current period.
- How to cancel. Cancel any time in your platform account, not in the game: App Store: Settings → your name → Subscriptions, or Google Play: Menu → Subscriptions. Cancel at least 24 hours before the current period ends, or that period renews. Cancelling stops future renewals; the month you have already paid for runs to its end, and Cognits already granted stay in your balance.
- The game does not require it. Nothing you have unlocked needs Cognit+ to play or to finish. It buys more of the AI companion, which is a commentary layer, not a way to win.
The AI companion
Companion replies are generated by a language model and are part of the game's fiction. They are not professional advice - career, legal, or otherwise. Please do not run your actual perf review strategy past Bit.
Because a language model writes them, replies can be wrong, odd, or off-key, and we do not pre-approve them. Report anything that should not have been said using the report button on the reply. Do not send the companion anything confidential: what you type is relayed to a third-party model provider, as set out in the privacy policy.
The usual
The game and this website are provided as-is, without warranties, to the extent permitted by law. Don't abuse, reverse-engineer for cheating, or resell the service. If any of this needs a conversation, write to ladder@yazfab.com.
How we handle data is covered separately in the privacy policy, which forms part of these terms.
Governing law
These terms are governed by the law of the Netherlands, where Yazfab, the publisher of LADDER, is established, and disputes go to the competent courts there. Nothing in these terms takes away consumer rights you have under the law of the country you live in, including your rights against Apple or Google as the seller of any purchase.
Changes to these terms
We may update these terms as the game changes. The date at the top is the version in force. If a change materially affects the Cognit+ subscription, it applies from your next renewal, not retroactively, and you can cancel before then.