The global success of Cursor AI, a coding tool developed by a team of MIT students including Pakistan-based Sualeh Asif, has sparked discussion in Pakistan about the country’s role in high-impact innovations. NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang reported that 100% of engineering teams at NVIDIA now use Cursor, and the tool is also used by Adobe, Uber, Shopify, PayPal, OpenAI, Stripe and Midjourney. Critical questions have been raised about Pakistan’s tangible contribution to the company’s success and whether similar ventures can emerge domestically by 2028. Industry observers note that Pakistan attracted only $74 million in startup funding over the past year, while Cursor raised $2.3 billion in its latest funding round alone, representing roughly 3% of Cursor’s single funding round. The company’s $29.3 billion valuation dwarfs Pakistan’s total startup ecosystem. Asif studied at MIT, raised funds in Silicon Valley, and built his company in the United States, highlighting the brain drain challenge. His background in mathematics, including teaching at Pakistani math camps and representing the country internationally, developed the problem-solving skills he brought to Cursor.