The non-technical PM's guide to building with Cursor | Zevi Arnovitz (Meta) - Lenny's Podcast: Product | Career | Growth Recap

Podcast: Lenny's Podcast: Product | Career | Growth

Published: 2026-01-18

Duration: 1 hr 15 min

Guests: Zevi Arnovitz

Summary

Zevi Arnovitz shares how non-technical product managers can effectively build products using AI tools like Cursor, even without coding skills. He emphasizes the importance of learning and using AI as a collaborator to enhance productivity and innovation.

What Happened

Zevi Arnovitz, a product manager at Meta, shares his journey of building products without any technical background using AI tools like Cursor and Claude code. He describes how he initially started as a non-technical PM at Wix and later transitioned to using AI to build his own app, StudyMate, which allows students to create tests from their study materials.

Zevi explains his workflow using Cursor, detailing how he employs various AI models to handle different parts of the development process. He uses predefined slash commands to manage tasks like creating issues, exploring ideas, planning execution, and reviewing code, all while leveraging AI for guidance and learning.

The conversation highlights the role of AI in empowering non-technical individuals to become builders, emphasizing how AI tools have democratized access to building complex apps. Zevi notes the shift in roles and responsibilities as AI becomes more integrated into workflows, predicting a future where titles collapse and everyone becomes a builder.

Zevi discusses the importance of setting up projects and using AI tools like GPT and Claude as collaborators rather than replacements. He shares insights into how juniors can excel by focusing on learning and harnessing AI's capabilities to amplify their potential.

The discussion also touches on the challenges and solutions in using AI for code review, where Zevi describes using multiple AI models to peer review each other's code, ensuring quality and reducing errors.

Zevi shares personal anecdotes, including how he used AI to prepare for job interviews at Meta and how this approach helped him secure the position. He emphasizes the value of AI as a tool for learning and personal growth, not just productivity.

Finally, Zevi encourages listeners to embrace curiosity, optimism, and hard work, highlighting the unprecedented opportunities AI offers for building and creating in the current technological landscape.

Key Insights

• AI tools like Cursor and Claude enable non-technical product managers to build apps by managing tasks such as creating issues, planning execution, and reviewing code through predefined slash commands.
• The integration of AI in workflows is leading to a shift in roles, with the potential for job titles to collapse as more individuals become capable of building complex applications.
• Using AI models for code review involves employing multiple AIs to peer review each other's code, which helps ensure quality and reduce errors.
• AI is utilized as a tool for personal growth and learning, as demonstrated by its use in preparing for job interviews and securing positions, rather than merely enhancing productivity.