Whether you implement this or not, however you feel about Cursor or projects, thereâs something really cool here. As people who are also building AI products, what can we learn from this?
Ryan Singer, author of Shape Up, tweeted this breakdown of why Cursor works so well. Tools like Cursor hint that chat is only a small part of it. Itâs really about the thing youâre working on.
In coding, itâs pretty clear that youâre working on code. You want to see that in front of you. Think about other domains. If youâre working with a calendar, you want the calendar in front of you. You want to communicate with AI, but you also want to collaborate with it on the substrate in front of you.
The question I keep asking myself: why not use Notion AI or MCP into Notion or Gemini or Microsoft? Why is that not the same feeling? They all have the same ingredients: models, instructions, chats, and knowledge. Maybe some of them are missing these, but they all have access to the same basic science.
I came to the conclusion that at this point, itâs not about the AI. Itâs about the interactions. Cursor inadvertently made it amazing for a thinking partner.
If youâre asking yourself this question or youâre not convinced, try using these alternatives as a thinking partner across a lot of context. Notice what is different. Maybe itâs better for you. Why is it better? Youâll get a lot of insights on incorporating AI into products that youâre working on.
âĄď¸ Users want to collaborate with AI on the substrate theyâre actually working on.