Let’s Talk About What Vibe Coding Is Really For

Vibe coding is a big party, but all good parties eventually get shut down

I’m not here to argue for or against vibe coding. I just want to keep you out of trouble.

Vibe coding has hit the mainstream, as evidenced by the recent massive uptick of articles welcoming our new AI coding assistant overlords. The vibe has now shifted out of the hands of software developers, early adopters, and founder mode CEOs. Today, vibe coding is coding for the common folk.

All hell is about to break loose.

And I’m so here for it.

See, last month I wrote a column debating the merits of using generative AI to do your work for you. In it, I proposed a simple solution. Don’t be AI’s editor. Do your own work and let AI be your editor instead.

That notion resonated like crazy, because it’s been the core foundation of what we’ve been calling AI since Joshua almost started Global Thermonuclear War back in 1983. It’s also the notion that a lot of these AI hype machines have been ignoring until recently.

Look, I understand both sides of the vibe code coin. I started building this stuff back in the 2000s, and brought to market some of the first generative AI in 2010.

I’ve got another simple solution for how to join the vibe code party without violating various noise ordinances and having the cops show up and pull the plug. You’ll have to wade through some nonsense to get there, but it’s necessary nonsense.

Know Your Vibe Limits

One of the younger folks I work with recently came to me all excited about his idea.

“I’m going to vibe code the next Shopify.”

OK, I said. We already have a Shopify.

“Yeah, I know,” he said. “But I’m going to solve all the problems and complaints with Shopify. Vibe coding is gonna let me build out all the ideas and solutions in my head to make a new Shopify but better.”

Yes. But… Shopify has a number of excellent business minds who have been working on the Shopify problems and complaints for almost 20 years. They also have boatloads of cash and armies of seasoned developers. And I’m pretty sure they’re building their own AI models and tools.

But don’t get me wrong! I love your motivation. So let’s start with that. And let’s party like it’s 1979.

Vibe Code Is the New Spreadsheets

I know! It’s wacky! But every time I say this I see the light bulb appear over people’s heads.

Look, the AI coding assistant tools that let you and me vibe code are just an abstraction layer on top of real code — just like no-code and low-code, even like modern SaaS platforms. Your Hubspot or Google Analytics dashboards, for what they’re worth these days, are just an abstraction layer on top of data.

As are spreadsheets.

But spreadsheets are so boring!

In 1979, when Apple released Visicalc, it was the killer app that made everyone’s job and life a lot easier. It was visual math in a box, unheard of at the time. Back then, it was the equivalent of 1000 robots pounding away on 1000 calculators. You just had to enter the starting numbers and tell it what you wanted, albeit with clunky commands and complex formulas.

It would be years before personal computers, let alone spreadsheets, went mainstream. But when they did, spreadsheets were magic. And yes, entire businesses were built around the magic of visual math in a box. ERPs and bloated server-based systems, then cloud and SaaS and data warehouses. Then mobile apps. Billion-dollar plays all the way around.

We got so drunk on data.

Spreadsheets For Everyone!

What experienced business minds and developers were able to do with math magic is what became the software we all still use today. Data is still the fundamental engine. It still powers everything. Software is still just easier-to-use spreadsheets!

I know. It’s a silly thing to say. You want to argue with me. But think about it. And then you’ll see it. Your modern automobile is just a bunch of math magic with a steering wheel interface. Self-driving cars are the same thing with a mobile phone interface.

The people who work to make those statements sound less silly are the people who are going to build “the next Shopify” or “the next billion dollar tech company,” and they will use a lot of AI, including “vibe coding,” to get it done.

To extend the vibe code party metaphor, those are the people who rent the house we’re all partying in. The VCs and private equity folks are the ones who bought the kegs. Elon Musk, Sam Altman, and Dario are taking turns DJing.

Huh. It’s getting late. I’ve got work in the morning.

But here’s the thing. Even today, in a lot of cases, the math magic behind a simple spreadsheet can be the difference between great business execution and poor business execution.

So can vibe coding.

That’s what you need to do with that motivation.

Start Your Own Party

I get it. I get that feeling of satisfaction and fun and promise when you make something out of nothing, with a little help that you never knew was all the help you needed. I get wanting more of that. I get the possibilities seeming to be endless. And they kinda are.

I remember my first spreadsheet, one I created for my household budget, and I was like, I’m never going to lose track of my money again. I’m still using the same concepts in my job and in my life that I used when I developed that spreadsheet.

I “vibe coded” this past weekend. I built a new product and launched it. It wasn’t the next Shopify, but it generated revenue immediately.

So pour me another shot. Just remember that the cops always show up to the best parties.

Know When To Say When

If you’re going to vibe code something worth vibe coding, you’ll need sensitive data and universal access. This opens up privacy and security issues that AI is not good at. You need to be good at it.

If you’re going to vibe code something useful and valuable, you’ll need to have intimate knowledge of the process and the problems you’re vibe coding for, and the same intimate knowledge of the solution that AI has dumped into your lap.

If you don’t know how AI solved a problem for scenario A, you won’t be able to tweak the solution for a slightly different scenario B. And believe me, AI is a hammer and every problem is a nail. So make sure you alternate those AI shots of Fireball with a nice glass of boring water, take a breath, and figure out exactly what you’re doing. Then pour another shot.

Oh, and if you’re that one guy or gal at the party who thinks that AI can solve its own problems without the excellent business minds and the seasoned developers you just laid off, you’re going to be left holding the bag when the cops show up and there’s no one left to hand the citation to.

Shoot me an invite to your party by joining my email list. I can’t say I’ll be there, I’ve got my own social calendar to manage. But I can’t wait to see what you come up with.

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