Consider alternative use cases.

I have a light over the stairs. Trouble is, it's about 15 feet over the nearest landing, so when the light bulb fails, it's a royal pain to change the bulb. No kidding, it's been out for the past few months, because it's that much of a pain in the rear to swap out the bulb. (And no, a ladder isn't the smart option, because the bulb is in the middle of the ceiling, where you can't prop a ladder against anything useful.)

Or you have a shopfront, and there's something up high (maybe a banner or something) that needs a stair only in the rare occasion that things get changed out.

I could see this also being highly useful on a ship or in a tiny house, where space is at a premium.