Us Entrepreneur Shares How A Missed Text From Cursor Ceo Cost Him A 600 Million Opportunity
Hindustan Times
A US-based entrepreneur has shared how a missed message from the CEO of an artificial intelligence startup, Cursor, cost him hundreds of millions of dollars. In the video, the entrepreneur shared that Truell had reached out to him in 2022 for help
. However, Lieberman said he missed the message and never replied. He then joked that he also missed the chance to negotiate for a 1% advisory stake in the company.
Lying out the sequence of events, Lieberman said, “Step one, Cursor CEO reaches out to me for help in 2022. Step two, don’t see it. Step three, don’t respond. Step four, don’t help with content. Step five, don’t negotiate for 1% advisory shares. Step six, Cursor sells to SpaceX for $60 billion. Step seven, you sir, are $600 million poorer.”
Separately, in an X post, the entrepreneur clarified that he was joking and congratulated the startup’s founders on their success. “All jokes aside, massive congrats to @mntruell and the @cursor_ai team!” he wrote in the post.
Lieberman also shared a screenshot of the message he had received from Truell. In the text, the then-MIT student wrote: “Hey Alex! Do you know how to use any tools to help your writing/creative process? I’m an MIT student working on Cursor and looking for some feedback.”
Lieberman’s post caught the internet’s attention, with many joking about the missed opportunity.
“And that my friend IS THE PRICE of INACTION!!” one user wrote.
“This was hard to watch, i’m gonna go respond to every single message in my inbox BRB,” commented another.
“That’s what happens when you don’t want to help people when they’re still figuring out,” wrote a third user.
“Worse than that guy who traded Bitcoin for pizza! You didn't even get a pizza,” jokingly wrote another.
SpaceX announced on Tuesday that it had agreed to acquire Cursor in a deal valuing the AI coding startup at $60 billion. Founded in 2022 by Michael Truell, Sualeh Asif, Arvid Lunnemark and Aman Sanger while they were students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cursor has emerged as one of the fastest-growing AI companies.
The acquisition is expected to turn Cursor’s 3 co-founders into billionaires. According to a Forbes estimate, each of them will be worth around $2.7 billion once the deal is completed.
Bhavya Sukheja is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with over 6 years of experience in digital journalism. She specialises in covering stories that reflect everyday human experiences, with a focus on viral videos, social media trends, and human-interest features that inform readers while sparking meaningful conversations. She loves chasing page views and finding stories that tug at readers’ heartstrings. Known for her strong news sense, Bhavya has a keen ability to spot emerging trends and craft angles that transform viral moments into impactful narratives. Her coverage spans pop culture, entertainment, global affairs, and the internet’s most talked-about topics, helping readers better understand the context behind what is trending online. Before joining Hindustan Times, Bhavya worked with Republic World and NDTV, where she developed her skills in real-time reporting and digital storytelling. Working in fast-paced newsrooms helped her build an editorial approach that prioritises accuracy, clarity, and audience engagement. Bhavya is driven by a curiosity about how people communicate and connect in the digital age. She is particularly interested in stories that highlight cultural shifts, shared emotions, and the evolving nature of online conversations. When she is not tracking trends or producing stories, Bhavya enjoys unplugging and spending time with her cat.Read More