diff --git a/spec/text-editor-component-spec.coffee b/spec/text-editor-component-spec.coffee
index d4a64c300..f576685c3 100644
--- a/spec/text-editor-component-spec.coffee
+++ b/spec/text-editor-component-spec.coffee
@@ -706,13 +706,13 @@ describe "TextEditorComponent", ->
 
       cursorNodes = componentNode.querySelectorAll('.cursor')
       expect(cursorNodes.length).toBe 2
-      expect(cursorNodes[0].style['-webkit-transform']).toBe "translate(#{11 * charWidth}px, #{8 * lineHeightInPixels}px)"
-      expect(cursorNodes[1].style['-webkit-transform']).toBe "translate(#{10 * charWidth}px, #{4 * lineHeightInPixels}px)"
+      expect(cursorNodes[0].style['-webkit-transform']).toBe "translate(#{10 * charWidth}px, #{4 * lineHeightInPixels}px)"
+      expect(cursorNodes[1].style['-webkit-transform']).toBe "translate(#{11 * charWidth}px, #{8 * lineHeightInPixels}px)"
 
       wrapperView.on 'cursor:moved', cursorMovedListener = jasmine.createSpy('cursorMovedListener')
       cursor3.setScreenPosition([4, 11], autoscroll: false)
       nextAnimationFrame()
-      expect(cursorNodes[1].style['-webkit-transform']).toBe "translate(#{11 * charWidth}px, #{4 * lineHeightInPixels}px)"
+      expect(cursorNodes[0].style['-webkit-transform']).toBe "translate(#{11 * charWidth}px, #{4 * lineHeightInPixels}px)"
       expect(cursorMovedListener).toHaveBeenCalled()
 
       cursor3.destroy()
diff --git a/src/cursor-component.coffee b/src/cursor-component.coffee
deleted file mode 100644
index ec7e04c1c..000000000
--- a/src/cursor-component.coffee
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,14 +0,0 @@
-React = require 'react-atom-fork'
-{div} = require 'reactionary-atom-fork'
-{isEqualForProperties} = require 'underscore-plus'
-
-module.exports =
-CursorComponent = React.createClass
-  displayName: 'CursorComponent'
-
-  render: ->
-    {pixelRect} = @props
-    {top, left, height, width} = pixelRect
-    WebkitTransform = "translate(#{left}px, #{top}px)"
-
-    div className: 'cursor', style: {height, width, WebkitTransform}
diff --git a/src/cursors-component.coffee b/src/cursors-component.coffee
index 646618e9b..bf704a1a5 100644
--- a/src/cursors-component.coffee
+++ b/src/cursors-component.coffee
@@ -2,18 +2,67 @@ React = require 'react-atom-fork'
 {div} = require 'reactionary-atom-fork'
 {debounce, toArray, isEqualForProperties, isEqual} = require 'underscore-plus'
 SubscriberMixin = require './subscriber-mixin'
-CursorComponent = require './cursor-component'
 
 module.exports =
 CursorsComponent = React.createClass
   displayName: 'CursorsComponent'
+  oldState: null
+  cursorNodesById: null
 
   render: ->
-    {presenter} = @props
+    div className: 'cursors'
 
-    className = 'cursors'
-    className += ' blink-off' if presenter.state.content.blinkCursorsOff
+  componentWillMount: ->
+    @cursorNodesById = {}
 
-    div {className},
-      for key, pixelRect of presenter.state.content.cursors
-        CursorComponent({key, pixelRect})
+  componentDidMount: ->
+    @updateSync()
+
+  componentDidUpdate: ->
+    @updateSync()
+
+  updateSync: ->
+    node = @getDOMNode()
+    newState = @props.presenter.state.content
+    @oldState ?= {cursors: {}}
+
+    # update blink class
+    if newState.blinkCursorsOff isnt @oldState.blinkCursorsOff
+      if newState.blinkCursorsOff
+        node.classList.add 'blink-off'
+      else
+        node.classList.remove 'blink-off'
+      @oldState.blinkCursorsOff = newState.blinkCursorsOff
+
+    # remove cursors
+    for id of @oldState.cursors
+      unless newState.cursors[id]?
+        @cursorNodesById[id].remove()
+        delete @cursorNodesById[id]
+        delete @oldState.cursors[id]
+
+    # add or update cursors
+    for id, cursorState of newState.cursors
+      unless @oldState.cursors[id]?
+        cursorNode = document.createElement('div')
+        cursorNode.classList.add('cursor')
+        @cursorNodesById[id] = cursorNode
+        node.appendChild(cursorNode)
+      @updateCursorNode(id, cursorState)
+
+  updateCursorNode: (id, newCursorState) ->
+    cursorNode = @cursorNodesById[id]
+    oldCursorState = (@oldState.cursors[id] ?= {})
+
+    if newCursorState.top isnt oldCursorState.top or newCursorState.left isnt oldCursorState.left
+      cursorNode.style['-webkit-transform'] = "translate(#{newCursorState.left}px, #{newCursorState.top}px)"
+      oldCursorState.top = newCursorState.top
+      oldCursorState.left = newCursorState.left
+
+    if newCursorState.height isnt oldCursorState.height
+      cursorNode.style.height = newCursorState.height + 'px'
+      oldCursorState.height = newCursorState.height
+
+    if newCursorState.width isnt oldCursorState.width
+      cursorNode.style.width = newCursorState.width + 'px'
+      oldCursorState.width = newCursorState.width