YC
Cursor CEO: Going Beyond Code, Superintelligent AI Agents, And Why Taste Still Matters
@ Y Combinator
06/11/25
Takeaways
MT
Michael Truell
06/11/25
@ Y Combinator
The goal with Cursor is to replace coding with a better method, allowing users to simply describe what they want and have it built.
MT
Michael Truell
06/11/25
@ Y Combinator
In the next 5 to 10 years, we believe it's possible to invent a higher-level, more productive way to build software that focuses on defining how the software should work and look.
MT
Michael Truell
06/11/25
@ Y Combinator
We're seeing early signs of change in coding, especially in smaller codebases where teams are starting to use AI to code at a higher level of abstraction.
MT
Michael Truell
06/11/25
@ Y Combinator
The vibe coding approach, where you code without fully understanding the code, doesn't work well in complex projects with many contributors.
MT
Michael Truell
06/11/25
@ Y Combinator
Our primary focus is to assist professional programmers, as they increasingly use AI to write a significant portion of their code, but they still need to review everything generated by AI.
MT
Michael Truell
06/11/25
@ Y Combinator
Taste will remain irreplaceable in software engineering, as it involves defining what to build and how the logic should work, beyond just visual aspects.
MT
Michael Truell
06/11/25
@ Y Combinator
As programming becomes more automated, professional developers will become significantly more productive, as the existing logic in large projects often slows down progress. Many companies are bottlenecked on engineering capacity, but I believe that will improve significantly, leading to the emergence of more niche software solutions.
MT
Michael Truell
06/11/25
@ Y Combinator
In the future, the physics of digital space will allow for many more options in software development, making it easier for companies to create internal tools without needing extensive engineering teams.
MT
Michael Truell
06/11/25
@ Y Combinator
The early days of Cursor were driven by youthful ambition and a desire to build something impactful in AI, stemming from our experiences with programming and AI projects during our time at MIT.
MT
Michael Truell
06/11/25
@ Y Combinator
We were inspired by the success of GitHub Copilot, which demonstrated that useful AI products could be created, motivating us to pursue our own ambitious ideas in AI.
MT
Michael Truell
06/11/25
@ Y Combinator
We realized that scaling laws in AI showed predictable improvements with increased data and compute, which encouraged us to focus on building a product for knowledge work as AI matured.
MT
Michael Truell
06/11/25
@ Y Combinator
Initially, we attempted to create a co-pilot for mechanical engineering, but we pivoted to focus on coding because we were more passionate about it and recognized the potential for AI to transform programming.
MT
Michael Truell
06/11/25
@ Y Combinator
Our decision to pivot from CAD to coding was influenced by our personal interests and the realization that the existing science for 3D modeling wasn't ready for effective AI applications.
MT
Michael Truell
06/11/25
@ Y Combinator
We chose to build an editor instead of a browser extension for our product, which was a non-obvious decision at the time but aligned with our vision for a more radical future in coding. In the future, programming will look very different, requiring a control UI to adapt to new models.
MT
Michael Truell
06/11/25
@ Y Combinator
The initial development of Cursor involved a year of experimentation before they found the right product fit.
MT
Michael Truell
06/11/25
@ Y Combinator
The GitHub Copilot project began as a search for a problem to solve, leading to the simple idea of autocomplete after many failed attempts.
MT
Michael Truell
06/11/25
@ Y Combinator
Building a tool like GitHub Copilot required significant changes to the editor, which was organizationally challenging.
MT
Michael Truell
06/11/25
@ Y Combinator
Cursor's early product decisions were crucial, and it took about a year of public iteration to dial in the product effectively.
MT
Michael Truell
06/11/25
@ Y Combinator
The main activity metric for Cursor is the number of paid power users who use the AI tool regularly, which is essential for sustainability.
MT
Michael Truell
06/11/25
@ Y Combinator
Hiring the right first ten employees is critical, as they can significantly influence the company's future success and culture.
MT
Michael Truell
06/11/25
@ Y Combinator
In the hiring process, Cursor evaluates candidates without AI tools to ensure they possess fundamental programming skills.
MT
Michael Truell
06/11/25
@ Y Combinator
Maintaining a hacker mindset as the company scales is essential, and hiring passionate individuals helps keep that energy alive.
MT
Michael Truell
06/11/25
@ Y Combinator
The future of Cursor will require a different approach, focusing on hiring passionate people and encouraging bottom-up experimentation.
MT
Michael Truell
06/11/25
@ Y Combinator
The next decade will magnify the ability to build, making it accessible to many more people, which is an exciting prospect.