Cursor adds finance chiefs to council focused on AI returns
The AI coding company’s CFO Council will meet quarterly as finance leaders seek clearer ways to measure AI spending and productivity.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
Cursor has expanded a new council of chief financial officers aimed at measuring the business return from artificial intelligence spending. The move matters because, according to Cursor COO Jordan Topoleski, finance leaders are being asked to justify AI costs as the technology moves from pilot projects into operating budgets.
The AI coding company, which is being acquired by SpaceX in a $60 billion all-stock deal, has formed a CFO Council that will meet every quarter in different cities, Fortune reported. The first meeting is scheduled for Aug. 18 in San Francisco, according to the company.
Cursor said the group includes finance executives from both technology-focused companies and older-line businesses. Members announced Wednesday include Michael Brophy of Natera, Bea Ordonez of Payoneer, Dinesh Jain of Firstsource, Matthew Wajner of First American Bank, Ed Grabscheid of JFrog and Andrew Casey of Amplitude.
They join Sonalee Parekh of SentinelOne, Madhur Deora of Paytm and Aziz Megji of Asana, who were announced as members on July 6, Fortune reported. Cursor is continuing to add members on a rolling basis.
Finance leaders seek an AI measurement system
Topoleski, who helped create the council, told Fortune that many companies are spending on AI but still struggle to measure the return in practical terms. He said the issue has come up among large customers using Cursor’s agentic platform across their organizations.
Technology chiefs still tend to lead AI rollouts, but Cursor says CFOs are being pulled into the question of whether AI spending produces reliable business value. The council is intended to give finance leaders a place to compare methods, test assumptions and develop shared tools.
According to Topoleski, Cursor did not start with a formal application process. After he announced the effort on LinkedIn, the company received requests to participate and built the group through both inbound interest and outreach to customers, Fortune reported.
Cursor’s goal is to assemble a group that cuts across industries, public and private companies, and different business models, Topoleski said. The company wants the forum to produce practical work rather than broad discussion.
Benchmarks, cost controls and internal use
Expected work from the council includes benchmarks for AI productivity, a framework for measuring what Cursor calls “return on intelligence,” and guidance on how companies should allocate models and control costs, according to Topoleski. He said the aim is to prevent uncontrolled AI spending while still encouraging adoption where it produces value.
Topoleski also told Fortune that finance teams are using AI inside Cursor itself. He said the company’s agent framework directs tasks to the models best suited for the work, while its canvases feature lets finance teams connect to live data and build AI-powered dashboards without adding separate software layers.
Two of Cursor’s 10 most active internal users work in finance, Topoleski said. He described that as a sign that AI-based analysis is spreading beyond engineering teams.
For Cursor, the council reflects a broader shift in how companies are treating AI costs. Topoleski told Fortune that the next challenge is showing that AI tools can create economic gains that CFOs can explain to boards and defend in budgets.
This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.