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During the last two weeks, for one of my courses, I have been experimenting with Cursor.
Cursor is a generative AI powered coding tool. So basically, it allows you to do software
coding without actually having to know anything about coding. Unlike the traditional code
programs like R, Cursor can actually understand natural language and can generate the
code based off of the natural language input it gets from a person. Basically, it feels like
having a senior coding expert writing code from our input real time with a 24/7 availability.
When I first used it, Cursor seemed a bit strange and I was not sure how it worked. However,
it only took me a couple of hours in total to go from a complete beginner to trying to generate
my own app idea. The AI lets a user write their ideas and it generates the complex code for
them in real time. After a few hours, the base of my idea for a virtual fitting room was already
there and it looked amazing (Figure 1).

Figure 1

I was super happy with the result that I got and even though it is of course far from a finished
app I was extremely impressed with Cursor this far. However, my experience with Cursor
also showed me some areas where I think they can improve. For example, while most of
Cursor’s suggestions are good, it sometimes also overlooks some logic steps or some
security nuances. With future updates, I would like for a future version to have a better
project memory. Right now, it can sometimes feel as if the application needs you to provide
the full idea and some of the progress again and again in each prompt.

Overall, Cursor has transformed the world of coding, making it more accessible to
everybody

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I recently read online, that Elon Musk’s vision for X is to transform it from a social media platform into a super app. On the one hand I think this is exciting because of the features it plans to offer, but on the other hand I find it pretty scary because of the behavioral and strategic mechanisms that could make it stick phones in users’ daily lives even more than they already are. I recently watched a YouTube video about WeChat, which is already a super app and what fascinated me was how people rarely leave the app. From messaging and payments to booking services, the people dot it all inside a single ecosystem which has the name WeChat. Observing that made me realize that X’s real challenge is not simply copying WeChat, but creating the same kind of engagement that make users return every day and start to use other apps less and less.

X has already added peer-to-peer payments and plans to introduce investment tools (Lunden, 2024). Both of these features can generate cross-side network effects, which I think is extremely important if Musk wants to make a success out of this project. An example of the way this works could be that financial activity attracts more service providers, which in turn makes the platform more valuable for users. There are also features like messaging and content sharing which X was already known for but which still can reinforce same-side effects especially when more and more users start joining X. I think that success for Elon will depend on carefully designing the app so that in becomes more of a ecosystem rather than just a big app with many possibilities. I also think that it will be important for Musk to make sure that users perceive X as something that saves them time or improves convenience. The so called stickiest platforms are those where users feel value from simply participating. 

In the end, X’s super app project is a very interesting case in platform strategy. Musk’s leadership and power, combined with clever use and knowledge of network effects and attention to user behavior, could make X a very successful and engaging ecosystem. Whether it becomes a copy WeChat or a more different more western super app, I think that its success will depend on building daily habits, not just adding services which might overwhelm the public.

And then of course, there is the question whether such a convenient and gigantic app should be seen as a blessing, or a curse to both mankind, and the world as a whole?

References

Lunden, I. (2024, February 29). X launches peer-to-peer payments with Visa partnership. TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/29/x-launches-peer-to-peer-payments

ColdFusion. (2021, November 28). How China’s WeChat became an everything app [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec77S25kuVs