2 min lesson
Product sense and craft in what you build
Imagine this comes up at work: "In an AI-editor feature, which interaction usually deserves the most craft budget and why?" Start with the practical move.
Step 1 of 3
Function gets you a pass. Craft gets you the offer. The JD asks for a taste for models and design and the onsite is where you prove you have it.
Cursor's whole bet is powerful tools that don't compromise on ease of use. The feature you choose should embody that tension. A raw capability bolted on with no thought to the moment of use signals an engineer; a capability wrapped in a moment that feels obvious and fast signals a product engineer.
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Full explanation
Full explanation
Narrate a craft decision you almost didn't make. “I added an inline diff with single-key accept instead of a modal, because breaking the user out of the editor to approve an edit kills the flow that makes Cursor feel fast.” One sentence like that proves you weren't just making it work - you were making it good and you know the difference.
Don't confuse polish with chrome. Animations and color aren't taste if the core interaction is clumsy. Taste is the empty state being helpful, the latency feeling instant and the accept gesture being one keystroke. Spend craft budget on the interaction, then on the paint.