1 min lesson
Locate the org with the 'three eras' vocabulary
Walk through each part of "Locate the org with the 'three eras' vocabulary", then explain what each one does.
Step 1 of 2
Locate the org with the 'three eras' vocabularyattention, not features
The ladder maps onto Cursor's own framing of where the industry is, defined by where a developer's attention goes. Use it to place an org out loud:
The three eras of AI coding
- Era 1 - Tab
- Autocomplete. Attention is on keystrokes. Maps to the assistive rung.
- Era 2 - synchronous agents
- Agent rides shotgun, you steer every step. Attention is on steering. This era lasted under a year. Maps to governed/repository workflow.
- Era 3 - async agents
- Cloud agents on their own VMs return artifacts; attention shifts to reviewing and managing outcomes. Maps to the higher-autonomy rung.
Each era is defined by where attention goes. The fuller maturity curve runs: manual → Tab → AI as junior teammate (delegate detailed tickets) → AI as a whole engineering team / multi-agent orchestration → AI as co-founder working backward from an end state.