Vibe Coding: The AI Revolution That's Changing Programming (and Breaking the Internet)
Written by Massa Medi
In March 2025, the world of programming was upended by a phenomenon known only as the Vibe Coding Mind Virus. If you haven’t heard of it yet, consider this your primer before you, too, are swept away in the digital whirlwind. Invented (or, perhaps more accurately, unleashed) by former OpenAI maestro Andrej Karpathy, the notion of Vibe coding is simple: surrender yourself fully to the vibes, embrace exponential thinking, and let the very idea of the underlying code dissolve from your conscious awareness.
This almost zen approach to development has ignited a frenzy online. Influencers, indie hackers, and every self respecting JavaScript jockey on the planet are now marching in the well worn footsteps of legendary indie developer Peter Levels. Levels, in a feat of both inspiration and reckless abandon, Vibe coded a “crappy real time flight simulator MMO” entirely in JavaScript. Not content with just launching a buggy but ambitious game, he cleverly leveraged his massive Twitter following to sell in game advertising and, naturally, made a fortune. Say what you will about the tech bro archetype, but sometimes the pure audacity just demands respect.
The catch? Suddenly, the internet is overflowing with hastily Vibe coded games and an ever growing mountain of AI generated digital slop. According to the CEO of Anthropic, this tidal wave is just the beginning. He predicts that, within a single year, nearly all programming will be orchestrated by artificial intelligence. Are we doomed to a future of low effort clones and software bloat? Or can we ride the Vibe wave to true innovation?
When Vibe Coding Goes Wrong: A Cautionary Tale
Let’s take a look at the dangers of Vibe coding without a safety net. One brave soul on the web managed to Vibe code an entire SaaS product, even achieving that mythical milestone: paying customers. For any indie developer, this is akin to slaying the dragon. However, in true internet fashion, this success brought unwanted attention. Trolls descended in droves, exploiting every security flaw. They maxed out API keys, bypassed subscription gates, and littered the database with nonsense chaos in digital form.
The developer, in a desperate postmortem, confessed: “Random things are happening. Maxed out usage on API keys. People bypassing the subscription. Creating random stuff in db. This is taking me longer than usual to figure out.” The relentless barrage ultimately forced their app offline, leaving them to “beg for their job back at Popeyes.” A hard lesson in the dangers of coding on vibes alone.
The Art and Science of (Real) Programming
This raises a central distinction: Coding is not Programming. Coding is the technical skill of writing instructions that a computer can execute. For decades, the best coders were those who could rattle off perfect C or JavaScript at blistering speeds, their hands a blur in VIM, their minds packed with arcane syntax.
But with the rise of large language models (LLMs), the game is changing. An eight year old with a knack for AI prompting can now “write” code faster than a grizzled veteran. Is coding dead? Not quite. But the true art of programming the domain of ingenuity, imagination, and seasoned judgment remains as vital as ever.
The best programmers often spend most of their time removing code, not adding it. They understand that building robust software is about restraint, clarity, and deep understanding. If you don’t grok the code you’re “vibing” out, you won’t get very far. This is programming as a creative discipline, a blend of sculpture and science. Trust us: even the Vibiest coder can’t fake their way past this reality.
Can Vibe Coding Actually Work? The Billion Dollar Question
When done properly, Vibe coding can win big. It’s only a matter of time before we see a billion dollar enterprise running purely on vibes, powered by lightning fast tools like V0 or Bolt, and next generation AI powered IDEs like Cursor and Windsurf. But how can you maximize your Vibe while minimizing disasters?
The Three Immutable Rules of Successful Vibe Coding
- Choose a Popular, Simple Tech Stack. For web development, React, Express, Tailwind, Redis, and Deno are tried and true combinations. LLMs excel at replicating solutions already documented on GitHub and Stack Overflow. Even if you’re tired of React, resist the urge to get experimental with every new framework unless you’re willing for your Vibes to get crushed. (Okay, full disclosure: the author prefers Svelte and has found surprising harmony with Vue.js and Nuxt. In other words, this rule is bendable for those willing to experiment.)
- Master Version Control GIT or Bust! When AI steers your codebase, it can (and will) overwrite or delete your working code in an instant. If you haven’t practiced diligent version control, trying to resurrect your lost progress from memory or magic prompts is a fool’s errand. Utilizing git is the lifeline of the professional coder. Even better, pair it with tools like Claude Code to automate your “Vibe commits,” or, if you’re old school, take the author’s full git course to master it by hand.
- Become a Product Manager for Your AI. You are no longer just a coder. Your new job is to break down complex problems into bite sized, clearly defined requirements. Provide all the context documentation, UI images, detailed specs to ensure your AI operates with precision. You want determinism, not creativity; leave the artsy stuff for human brains. Not to sound like a Vibe killer, but sloppiness here is the short path to chaos.
The Limitations of Vibes Alone (And the Secret Ingredient)
Even with all this automation, letting Vibes steer your project uncritically is a recipe for disaster. Consider the Levels Flight Simulator: it may have gone viral, but it was riddled with problems. Its survival was only possible because of the developer’s deep well of experience and problem solving chops. The lesson? Even the best tools and the wildest vibes need a foundation of real skill and critical thinking.