You must have seen or heard of Aman Sanger lately, especially while researching the field of generative AI. Sanger is one of the four Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) alumni who co-founded Anysphere, the startup behind the highly popular AI coding tool, Cursor. At 25 years old, Sanger has transitioned from a college-based coder to a significant figure in the generative AI space, holding an estimated net worth of over a billion dollars!
Sanger’s journey into the world of technology began early, as he started coding at the age of 14. His early fascination with programming and the potential of artificial intelligence made him interested in an entrepreneurial path. He later attended MIT, where he met his co-founders of Anysphere – Michael Truell (CEO), Sualeh Asif, and Arvid Lunnemark, who together founded the company in 2022.
Aman Sanger, one of the names behind Cursor
Anysphere’s co-founders are recognised for their exceptional talent in the tech ecosystem. Sanger, like his co-founder Michael Truell, was a Neo Scholar – a selective startup boot camp that identifies and connects promising technical talent with influential Silicon Valley contacts. This connection proved to be of great help, as Neo reportedly led Cursor’s first funding round and continues to provide support.
Initially, the Anysphere team explored building an AI model for computer-aided design, but they switched to a field they knew intimately – software engineering.
This shift led to the creation of Cursor, an AI-powered code editor that quickly became known for pioneering the concept of ‘vibe coding’. For those who are unaware, vibe coding is a system where developers can generate, edit, and debug large chunks of code using natural language prompts. Vibe coding has evolved into such a notable thing that Collins Dictionary chose it as the word of the year 2025.
The creation of Cursor
Sanger and the team began working on Cursor in early 2023. He credits the company’s explosive growth to a focus on user experience and a willingness to iterate quickly.
The initial product launch had a lukewarm reception, but the team constantly experimented and shipped half-finished features, such as the core features of Command K for instructed edits and code-based indexing, which led to a surge in usage. Sanger noted that much of the company’s work involved “experimenting with what is possible” and finding new ways to harness AI models for programming.
Anysphere’s growth trajectory has been historic. The company achieved a valuation of an estimated $29.3 billion following a substantial funding round in late 2025. This success made the co-founders, including Sanger, billionaires. Forbes estimates each holding a 4.5% stake in the company, valued at at least $1.3 billion. The company also reached $100 million in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) in just 12-14 months, one of the fastest speeds in industry history.
As a co-founder, Sanger views his work as tackling the bottlenecks in AI progress. He stated, “Software engineering bandwidth and genius ideas are the bottlenecks to rapid AI progress. Cursor is our attempt at solving the former. In doing so, more talent, effort, and resources can be devoted to the latter.”
Sanger’s family history
Born in New York, Aman Sanger’s family has deep ties to finance and entrepreneurship. His father, Arvind Sanger, is the managing partner of the hedge fund management firm Geosphere Capital, while his mother, Shilpa, is an orthodontist, angel investor, and entrepreneur.
