Michael Truell

Co-founder & CEO at Anysphere (Cursor)

Michael Truell is co-founder and CEO of Anysphere, the company behind Cursor, the leading AI code editor that hit $300M ARR just two years after launch.

The Operator The Visionary

Dimension Profile

Strategic Vision 90%

Execution & Craft 85%

Data & Experimentation 60%

Growth & Distribution 70%

Team & Leadership 60%

User Empathy & Research 75%

Key Themes

AI-native code editor inventing programming after code custom model development explosive product growth hiring speed lessons intent-based software building

Episode Summary

Michael Truell shares the story of building Cursor into the leading AI code editor, hitting $300M ARR in two years. He reveals their vision of inventing a new type of programming where engineers become logic designers, the counterintuitive lesson that they needed to build custom models rather than just wrap APIs, and why they should have hired faster.

Leadership Principles

→ The goal is to invent a new type of programming where engineers become logic designers specifying intent
→ Every magic moment in the product should involve custom models — don't just wrap APIs
→ Many founders hire too fast, but we actually hired too slow and should have moved faster

Notable Quotes

"Our goal with Cursor is to invent a new type of programming. More and more being an engineer will feel like being a logic designer."
— On the vision for Cursor beyond just AI-assisted coding

"We definitely didn't expect to be doing any of our own model development. And at this point, every magic moment in Cursor involves a custom model."
— On the counterintuitive importance of custom models for product differentiation

"Many people you hear hire too fast. I think we actually hired too slow to begin with."
— A contrarian hiring lesson from building a hypergrowth product

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