Cursor's most important AI features started as side projects engineers built themselves, says its engineering head

"Ginsberg said he built a debugging feature over the Thanksgiving holiday simply because he wanted it and to "help people on the team." The AI-coding company has since launched its "Debug Mode." "If there's internal adoption, that's kind of our metric for this is ready to ship," he said. The same pattern applies to Cursor's agent, now one of its defining features."

""He prototyped it super quickly, and everyone's like, 'Oh wow, this works,'" Ginsberg said. Cursor still maintains short-term roadmaps, but many of its biggest features emerge organically, Ginsberg said. He also said there isn't much formal process at Cursor. Instead of debating product changes in documents or alignment meetings, engineers resolve disagreements through code. Cursor is among the most prominent AI companies being built by a tiny team. Ginsberg said on the podcast that Cursor had about 20 people at the start of 2025."

Cursor's most impactful AI features often originated from engineers building internal tools and prototypes rather than from formal roadmaps. One engineer created a debugging feature over Thanksgiving to help teammates, which became Debug Mode after internal adoption indicated readiness. Another engineer quickly prototyped an agent that convinced skeptics when it worked. Cursor keeps short-term roadmaps but relies on organic feature emergence, minimal formal processes, and resolving disagreements through code instead of lengthy debates. The company operated with roughly 20 people at the start of 2025, maintaining a very high hiring bar and moving quickly.

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