Skip to lesson
Exit
Capstone: Mock Loop & Self-Exam1 / 3

1 min lesson

Take-home: cost-attribution model

Explain the practical point behind "Cursor explicitly wants the person who builds the model, not the person who schedules the meeting about the model."

Step 1 of 3

Set a 4-hour timer and open a blank spreadsheet. The prompt: attribute Cursor's inference spend across features, then recommend where to cut 15% of COGS without wrecking the product. This is the round the whole loop is built around - Cursor explicitly wants the person who builds the model, not the person who schedules the meeting about the model.

Learn more

Full explanation

The Cursor TPM Loop at a Glance

THE CURSOR TPM LOOP AT A GLANCE

Interactive diagram. Step through it with the Next and Previous controls below, or Tab to a region to read its detail.

diagram: loop-timeline

This capstone simulates the four hardest middle stages - take-home, systems, execution and values. Step through to see what each one is actually grading.

The deliverable is two artifacts that travel together: a cost model with every assumption visible and a one-page recommendation a founder could act on without a follow-up call. The model proves you can do the math. The page proves you can make a call.