The Pulse #153: Is Microsoft too early to agentic OS – like with smartphones?
Also: agents coming the default way to write code, inside Cursor’s unique engineering culture, and more. Plus: early applications for The Pragmatic Summit
The Pulse is a series covering events, insights, and trends within Big Tech and startups. Notice an interesting event or trend? Hit reply and share it with me.
Today, we cover:
Microsoft too early to agentic OS – like with Windows phones? The tech giant wants Windows to be an “agentic OS”, but developers hate the idea and could move to MacOS or Linux. Is Microsoft in the process of repeating its Windows Mobile 6 error?
Industry pulse. Agents becoming the default way to write code, more AI-coding startups adopt metered pricing, Cursor the highest-valued dev tools company, 1-day onboarding at AI-native companies, and more.
Inside Cursor’s unique engineering culture. A completely different way of hiring, rapid shipping as the norm, many former founders at the company, and more.
Before we start: as a paid newsletter subscriber, you can apply a few days early to The Pragmatic Summit!
I shared a teaser on Tuesday: and I’m now very excited to share the first major in-person The Pragmatic Engineer event. This will be a gathering of 400 top engineers and leaders in San Francisco on 11 February 2026 for a day of practical insights, high-signal sessions, and peer exchange focused on building great products and scaling world-class engineering teams.