2 min lesson
ROI / TCO framing and the seat-math objection
Answer "Which is the single most important variable to discount when building a Cursor ROI model and why?" Then point to the lesson detail behind your choice.
Step 1 of 2
A simple, defensible value frame
Keep the model so simple a CFO can poke at it without a spreadsheet. The whole frame is value created minus cost to own. Stay conservative on the inputs and the number survives scrutiny.
ROI value = fully-loaded engineer cost/hr × hours saved per engineer per period × realistic adoption rate <-- discount this HARD × number of seats Net value = ROI value - (seat cost + enablement/mentorship cost) # Then: payback = net cost / monthly value created
The most common way these models lie is assuming 100% of engineers save 100% of the claimed hours on day one. Apply a realistic adoption rate (Box hit 85%+ daily - but over time, with mentorship). Model a ramp, not a step function. A conservative model that lands beats an aggressive one that gets torn apart in procurement.
Interactive diagram. Tab through its regions; each focused region shows its detail in the panel below.
The value chain collapses to one number a CFO can check: the payback period. Adoption is the honesty dial - discount it hard so the number survives procurement.