If you've been scrolling through X or keeping an eye on tech trends lately, you've probably seen the term "vibe coding" popping up.

It's buzzing everywhere, from indie hackers to AI enthusiasts and it's shaking up how we think about building software.

But what exactly is vibe coding?

Vibe coding, a term recently gaining traction in the tech community, represents a paradigm shift in software development and creating things like apps, websites and games with AI.

Instead of writing code line by line, you tell the AI what you need, and it generates the code for you.

This method, popularized by former founding member at OpenAI, AI expert Andrej Karpathy, shifts the focus from technical coding to expressing your intent, making it easier for people without deep programming knowledge to build software.

In his now-iconic X post, Karpathy described vibe coding as a process where you "prompt an AI with a few sentences, hit 'I Accept All,' and let it build something—without sweating the details."

The idea is simple: "I don't read diffs anymore. I just vibe."

It's about trusting the AI, focusing on vision, and letting the technicalities and syntax sort itself out.

For example, you might say, "Make this button look cooler," and the AI handles the coding.

Tools like Replit's Agent, Cursor's Composer, or Windsurf's Cascade and a growing ecosystem of AI-powered development environments support this approach, allowing you to interact naturally with AI.

Vibe Coding Impact

So why is vibe coding taking off?

It's democratizing software creation.

Just like Shopify did for ecommerce, WordPress did for blogging, and Figma did for design, vibe coding is doing for software development.

You don't need a computer science degree or years of experience to build an app anymore.

While there's a lot of pushback from traditional developers and enterprises, I see this as a goldmine for non-technical creators.

For indie hackers and solopreneurs, the risk is low. If the code's a mess, you can scrap it and start over.

Marketers like myself might use it for creating dynamic content, while designers could prototype UIs faster.

For entrepreneurs, it could speed up building MVPs without needing a full-time developer.

This is the age where the "idea guy" can effectively code now. That's transformative for solopreneurs, designers, and marketers with big ideas but limited coding knowledge.

However, there's debate: some worry it might reduce the need for traditional coding skills, potentially affecting code quality and security.

It's not fully magical yet.

AI-coding tooling space is becoming a fierce battleground. Source: r/ChatGPTCoding.

Accepting AI-written code without understanding can lead to quick prototype but not knowing how it works will lead to problems if you're building something complex and even grave consequences if you're building something mission-critical, exposing your user data, trade secrets, or API keys.

Cultural Impact

Beyond technical use, vibe coding has become a meme, with discussions about coding with the "right vibe," like listening to lo-fi beats or just feeling the right vibe.

My favorite meme is the reference to the great Rick Rubin and his vibe and approach to music production.

YouTube: Rick Rubin Says He "Knows Nothing About Music" - But Here's Why Artists Pay Him

This cultural aspect shows how it's not just a tool but also a lifestyle for some developers and creators.

This cultural impact is evident in discussions on platforms like Reddit's r/ChatGPTCoding, where users share experiences of using AI for coding, often humorously.

How It Works

The process involves several steps:

1. Natural Language Input: You describe your needs, such as "create a simple portfolio website" or "decrease the padding on the sidebar by half."
2. AI Processing: LLMs interpret these instructions, leveraging advanced AI capabilities (Anthropic's Sonnet 3.5 and newer Sonnet 3.7 models are the best for this).
3. Code Generation: The AI produces the code, often in real-time, using tools like Replit's Ghostwriter or Cursor's Agent (formerly known as Composer).
4. Refinement: You can refine outputs by providing further instructions or corrections, often accepting changes without reviewing diffs.

This method contrasts with traditional coding, where you write and debug code manually, requiring deep technical knowledge.

Vibe coding, instead, focuses on the "what" rather than the "how."

Impact Across Industries

Vibe coding is making it easier for people in many different industries to code.

• For marketers, it could streamline tasks like customer segmentation and A/B testing.
• Designers might prototype user interfaces faster (some people are connecting AI to their Figma), reducing dependency on developers.
• Entrepreneurs could rapidly build and iterate on minimum viable products (MVPs) without hiring professional developers.

Real-world examples are emerging.

My colleague at saas.group, Jakub Szyszka, built a CRM Matchmaker app to help people find the best CRM solution for any business.

I've built a simple visual asset creator Draftpen to help me create social media posts.

Also have been working on an open-source job board software Bordful.

I even was naive enough to try and build an open source local-first AI agent framework using Python called Pynions.

Can You Actually Make Money Vibe Coding?

Pieter Levels, probably the most famous indie hacker today, built a flight simulator game vibe coding and made $87,000+ in a month.

However, there are concerns and risks.

For more complex projects, vibe coding might oversimplify things, risking code quality and security.

It might also erode our overall understanding of core principles.

Experts caution that maintaining rigorous code review processes and foundational programming knowledge is essential to mitigate these risks.

For these reasons, I think bigger companies will be slower to adopt vibe coding.

Personal Perspective and Future Outlook

As a self-taught marketer, designer, and writer I've been always curious about how to build things faster.

While I learned the programming basics at Business Academy Aarhus in 2012, I've never been a fan of writing code or had the patience to debug things sometimes taking weeks.

The feedback in programming was just too slow to keep me motivated. If you get stuck, previously you would spend hours trying to debug the issue, Google the problem, read Stack Overflow posts, ask in forums, and then if you're lucky someone would help you out.

Now, with vibe coding, you can describe what you want, and the AI will generate the code for you. If you want to learn and understand the code, you can always ask the AI to explain it. It can become a very stimulating way to learn programming.

I've experienced firsthand how vibe coding aligns with my journey of learning programming to build things faster.

Since 2023, I've experimented with Cursor and Replit, and many more tools like v0, Lovable, Bolt and Windsurf have emerged.

Start small, just pick one of the AI coding tools, describe your project, and see what happens.

Worst case?

You learn what not to do. Best case? You've got a working product prototype by dinner.

But I also see vibe coding as a tool, not a lifestyle.

It's perfect for prototyping, brainstorming, or launching an MVP fast. But if you're building something complex or user-facing, you'd better understand what's under the hood—or have someone who does.

Andrej Karpathy's "I Accept All" approach is fun, but it's not gospel for every situation. Vibe coding is fun, vibe debugging is not.

Tech is moving fast, and as AI tools continue to evolve, vibe coding could become the preferred method for many to bring their ideas to life.

For me, vibe coding feels like the next evolution of no-code platforms, think Bubble or Webflow, but with AI superpowers.

It's not replacing developers; it's empowering the rest of us to ship faster.

The need for professional developers will always be there—someone needs to clean up your spaghetti code—but vibe coding is a new way to code that can be a game changer for many and help you validate your ideas faster instead of regretting what could have been.

Vibe Coding vs. Traditional Coding

To illustrate the differences, here's how vibe coding compares to traditional coding:

Vibe Coding:

• Input Method: Natural language, voice commands
• Skill Requirement: Lower, accessible to non-coders
• Speed: Faster, AI handles generation
• Code Quality Control: Relies on AI, potential for errors
• Accessibility: Broad, inclusive

Traditional Coding:

• Input Method: Manual code writing
• Skill Requirement: High, requires programming knowledge
• Speed: Slower, manual debugging required
• Code Quality Control: Developer-driven, more control
• Accessibility: Limited to trained developers

Best AI Software Development Agents

The rise of vibe coding has been facilitated by the emergence of specialized AI software development agents.

Unlike general-purpose AI chatbots or code completion tools, these agents are designed to automate significant portions of the software development lifecycle traditionally performed by human developers.

These autonomous agents accept natural language inputs and produce executable software as output, handling tasks including planning, designing, writing code, debugging, testing, and sometimes even deployment.

Tools like Devin, described as an "autonomous AI software engineer," demonstrate how these systems can handle complete development tasks with minimal human intervention.

Here's an incomplete vibe coding Ecosystem Matrix Platforms categorized by technical expertise required and functionality

Some notable examples in this space include:

• Cursor: A full-stack browser-based IDE with conversational AI coding capabilities
• Windsurf: An AI-powered development environment that allows you to code with natural language
• Devin AI: An autonomous AI software engineer that can handle complete development tasks with minimal human intervention
• Bolt: A full-stack browser-based IDE with conversational AI coding capabilities
• Replit (Agent): An online IDE featuring a conversational AI agent to assist with development
• v0: An AI-driven frontend UI builder specializing in React and Next.js components
• Lovable: A conversational AI platform for quickly building full-stack web apps
• Co.dev: Specializes in AI-generated Next.js & Supabase apps from text prompts
• Devv: Generate Production-Ready APIs in Seconds. No Code. No Hassle. Devv transforms your prompts into secure, auto-scaling backends.
• Rork: Build any mobile app, fast. Rork builds complete, cross-platform mobile apps using AI and React Native.
• BASE44: The all-in-one app building platform. No integrations needed

These tools represent a spectrum of approaches, from fully autonomous development agents to more collaborative systems that enhance human developers' capabilities through natural language interaction.

What they share is a commitment to the vibe coding philosophy: prioritizing intent expression over manual coding and making software development more accessible to non-specialists.

These tools have varying pricing models from free open-source options to premium services, suggesting significant market interest and investment in the vibe coding paradigm. This technological infrastructure will likely be crucial in determining whether vibe coding becomes the dominant development approach in the coming years.

What's Missing?

While being able to code now doesn't always mean you should.

It's a fun activity in itself to see what your prompts will produce, but to build something people want, use, and pay money for, you will need to have specific knowledge, experience, and understanding of the problems your audience has.

Good taste can't be taught, you either have it or you don't.

It reminds me of the famous THE GAP video by Ira Glass.

You start something because you have good taste but your skills lack behind and you must work hard to close that gap. Vibe coding helps you get close to the gap but you still need to have a good taste for what's possible. Curiosity, patience and constant iteration is the key.

Real Limitations from Non-Techie Perspective

I asked my colleague Jakub Szyszka, Head of Marketing at Juicer, who has been vibe coding for three months as a non-technical person, about his experience with the reality of these tools:

After three months as a non-techie vibe coder, I've learned that while powerful, these tools have clear boundaries. The main limitations are: 1) AI hallucinations as projects grow in complexity (making direct code edits often more reliable than chat-based changes), and 2) your own understanding of software fundamentals (I once naively pasted an API key into a chat until Bolt rightfully scolded me about security risks).

That said, tools like Lovable and Replit excel at guiding beginners through implementation decisions - suggesting database connections for user dashboards or email APIs for notifications.

As of April 2025, most building blocks already exist; the real limitation is your ability to reason through problems, debug efficiently, and connect the right solutions. The learning curve isn't about coding syntax but understanding the underlying principles of what you're trying to build.

This practical insight highlights an important reality: while vibe coding democratizes the ability to build software, it doesn't eliminate the need to understand basic principles of how software works.

The tools can write the code for you, but you still need to guide them effectively and understand enough about what you're building to make good decisions.

Should You Try It?

Absolutely yes!

I'm a big believer in FAFO (f–k around and find out), so go give it a try.

If you're a creator with limited coding experience but big ideas, vibe coding might be worth exploring.

Here's a simple approach to get started with vibe coding:

1. Choose a simple project: Start with something small and well-defined
2. Select an accessible tool: Replit, Lovable, Bolt, or Cursor offer free tiers
3. Be specific in your prompts: Clear instructions yield better results
4. Expect iterations: First attempts may need refinement
5. Learn from the output: Take time to understand the generated code

The beauty of vibe coding is that you can start small and build something people want, use, and pay money for while asking questions when coding and essentially gving yourself an education in programming.

I can't imagine a more immersive way to learn technology and business.

For professionals in marketing, design, or content creation, vibe coding can help you prototype ideas and create functional demos without dependency on development teams.

For solo entrepreneurs, it can accelerate your path from idea to market-ready product.

However, for enterprise applications or projects with specific security requirements, a hybrid approach may be more appropriate—using vibe coding for prototyping while maintaining traditional development practices for production code.

Market Expansion: Early Signs of a Developer Revolution

Beyond theoretical debates, we're already seeing evidence that vibe coding is creating a significant market expansion in the developer ecosystem.

I predict this trend will lead to millions of new developers entering the global economy—people who previously couldn't participate due to technical barriers.

The early signs of this transformation are visible in the data from developer tooling companies.

Paul Copplestone, CEO of Supabase, recently shared compelling evidence of this shift:

It's pretty clear at this point that AI is enabling more builders. The market is rapidly expanding for all developer tools. We're seeing a lot of growth in Supabase driven by tools like: cursor; bolt; lovable; v0; codev; windsurf. Many low-code builders from the past few years are now going all-in on AI.

This observation is supported by Supabase's internal metrics showing a dramatic increase in weekly sign-ups—with a hockey-stick growth curve appearing in late 2024 and early 2025.

This isn't isolated to just one platform; Jan Čurn, CEO of Apify, reported a similar pattern: "Our organic traffic has also skyrocketed over the past two months."

These market indicators suggest we're at the beginning of a significant expansion in who can participate in software creation. The implications are profound:

1. Expanded talent pool: Companies can tap into a broader range of creative talent, not limited to those with traditional coding skills
2. Geographical diversity: Software creation could decentralize further, empowering builders in regions without established tech education systems
3. Industry-specific innovation: Experts in non-tech fields (healthcare, finance, education) can directly implement their domain knowledge without technical intermediaries
4. Economic opportunity: New career paths will emerge for "prompt engineers" and "vibe architects" who specialize in guiding AI tools toward desired outcomes

This democratization of software development resembles previous technological inflection points.

Think of the introduction of word processors that freed writers from typewriters, or digital cameras that liberated photography from darkroom expertise.

Each time, the number of creators expanded exponentially while the required technical knowledge decreased.

As the trend continues, watch for further indicators of this expansion: rising user numbers for AI-powered developer tools, increases in amateur-built applications, and probably most tellingly, diversification in the profiles of people who identify as "developers" or "builders" in the tech ecosystem.

May the good vibes be with you!