Full Tutorial: Design to Code in 45 Min with Cursor's Head of Design | Ryo Lu

Full Tutorial: Design to Code in 45 Min with Cursor's Head of Design | Ryo Lu

Author: Peter Yang November 16, 2025 Duration: 45:47

As the head of design at Cursor, Ryo is at the cutting edge of designers who ship code instead of mocks. He showed me how he built a retro OS with AI and did a live demo of adding a new feature using Cursor’s new agent mode. We also covered how to avoid AI design slop and how the Cursor team reached $29B valuation without full-time PMs.


Ryo and I talked about:

(00:00) Why designers should go directly to code

(02:06) Building a retro calculator app in one shot with plan mode

(08:04) How Ryo manages multiple AI agents at once in Cursor

(15:18) How Cursor builds without PMs and who does the PM work instead

(16:43) How to avoid creating purple AI design slop (it’s not prompting)

(20:01) Inside RyOS: A beautiful retro operating system built with AI

(30:22) How to turn vague ideas into detailed specs with Cursor

(37:47) The fastest way for PMs and designers to learn Cursor


Thanks to our sponsors:

Reforge: AI prototyping tool for product builders - https://reforge.com/peter

Linear: The best platform for AI agents - https://linear.app/partners/behind-the-craft


Get the takeaways: https://creatoreconomy.so/p/design-to-code-with-cursor-head-of-design-ryo-luWhere to find Rio:

X: https://x.com/ryolu_

Website: https://ryo.lu/


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For anyone building the future, Behind the Craft is a conversation with Peter Yang that moves beyond theory and into the tangible details of creation. This podcast lives in the messy, rewarding space where ideas become real products. Each episode is built on candid interviews with experts who have been in the trenches, dissecting the pivotal decisions, the unexpected hurdles, and the hard-won lessons that rarely make it into a polished case study. You’ll hear the unvarnished stories behind the features and companies shaping our world, focusing on the practical frameworks and mental models that effective product leaders and creators rely on daily. It’s about understanding the craft from the inside out-the strategic shifts, the team dynamics, the user insights that truly move the needle. Tune in for a direct, no-fluff dialogue designed to accelerate your own journey, providing actionable guidance you can apply immediately to level up your own work. This is where the blueprint meets the build.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

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