1 min lesson
Measure depth, not provisioning - the adoption trap
Use two rows in "Measure depth, not provisioning - the adoption trap" to state the practical decision rules.
Step 1 of 2
Measure depth, not provisioning - the adoption trap"100% adoption" that's really once a month
The most common self-deception at the leadership level is reporting "100% adoption" because every seat is provisioned, while the usage data shows the median engineer opens Cursor about once a month. Provisioning is not depth. A seat that lights up once in thirty days is functionally a dark seat that happens to have a login.
- What leadership reports
- "We're at 100% adoption"
- What the data shows
- Every seat provisioned; median usage ~once a month
- The honest read
- A provisioning number wearing an adoption costume
- What leadership reports
- "The whole org is on Cursor"
- What the data shows
- Active daily/weekly users are a fraction of seats
- The honest read
- Breadth without depth - the habit never formed
- What leadership reports
- "Rollout is done"
- What the data shows
- Agent usage near zero; mostly idle or Tab-only
- The honest read
- Installed, not adopted - the value isn't being captured
| What leadership reports | What the data shows | The honest read |
|---|---|---|
| "We're at 100% adoption" | Every seat provisioned; median usage ~once a month | A provisioning number wearing an adoption costume |
| "The whole org is on Cursor" | Active daily/weekly users are a fraction of seats | Breadth without depth - the habit never formed |
| "Rollout is done" | Agent usage near zero; mostly idle or Tab-only | Installed, not adopted - the value isn't being captured |
Depth metrics - weekly-active rate, agent usage, requests per active user - are the ones that survive a renewal conversation.
When an exec proudly cites 100% adoption, ask for the usage distribution, not the provisioning count. The number that matters is how often the median engineer actually works in Cursor and whether they reach the agent. If "adoption" survives only as a provisioning metric, the renewal is already at risk and nobody in the room knows it yet.