AnySphere Valued at 12 Trillion Won
Global Promotion Offers $20 Monthly Subscription Free for Students for One Year
India Was Initially Included in the Promotion List but Later Removed
AnySphere, the developer of the artificial intelligence (AI) coding assistant tool 'Cursor', has reportedly excluded South Korea from its one-year free event for university students worldwide.
A screenshot of the first screen of the 'Cursor for Students' promotion for university students launched by AnySphere on the 7th of this month.
Cursor is an AI software that helps users generate code by understanding their intent from written prompts. AnySphere, based in Silicon Valley, United States, has expanded rapidly, receiving an acquisition offer from OpenAI and being valued at $9 billion (approximately 12 trillion won).
According to the AI industry on May 21, Cursor began a promotion for university students worldwide on May 7, stating its aim to become a tool for the next generation of developers. The promotion allows students to use the Cursor Pro subscription, which normally costs $20 per month, free of charge for one year. Cursor Pro offers a broader range of features than the free trial version, including 'unlimited code autocompletion' and '500 monthly requests for AI features such as GPT-4o'. To participate, students must log in with their university email and verify their student status by uploading a student ID or tuition receipt. After one year, the regular subscription fee applies. Engineers on campuses around the world have shared feedback such as, "I was able to generate more than 50,000 lines of usable code in just one month, reducing development time by 70%," and "Tasks that used to take a week now only take a few hours."
The student promotion is available in 41 countries, including advanced economies such as the United States, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, and France; high-income Middle Eastern countries such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE); and emerging economies such as the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Mexico, Chile, and South Africa. However, South Korea was not included in the list. The exact reason for South Korea's exclusion has not been disclosed. Jeon Sijin, CEO of Serial and the official Cursor ambassador who operates the Korean user community, told Asia Economy, "We are continuously inquiring with the Cursor team."
India was also initially included in the promotion but was reportedly removed without official notice. On May 12, India Today reported, "This benefit was initially offered to Indian students, but Cursor canceled it without any explanation," adding, "This action has sparked criticism across the internet." Users speculate that the free plan for Indian users was removed due to abuse cases such as account reselling or spam.
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