Vibe Coding: How I Stopped Worrying and Let the LLMs Build My Apps
There's a new kind of coding I call "vibe coding", where you fully give in to the vibes, embrace exponentials, and forget that the code even exists. It's possible because the LLMs (e.g. Cursor Composer w Sonnet) are getting too good. Also I just talk to Composer with SuperWhisper…
— Andrej Karpathy (@karpathy) February 2, 2025
There’s a new kind of programming emerging — and no one really has a name for it yet.
I call it "Vibe Coding."
It’s fast, messy, surprisingly effective, and only possible because LLMs (Large Language Models) have gotten too good at writing code. I'm not really coding anymore in the traditional sense. I'm seeing stuff, saying stuff, running stuff, and copy-pasting stuff. Somehow, it mostly works.
Let me explain.
What Is Vibe Coding?
Vibe coding is when you surrender control.
You speak intentions, not code. You accept whatever comes back. You build apps without really "building" them in the classic sense.
Here’s what it looks like in practice:
- I barely touch my keyboard. I use voice input with tools like SuperWhisper to talk directly to my IDE (hello, Cursor Composer + Sonnet).
- I say things like "decrease the sidebar padding by half" instead of figuring out where the CSS is.
- When I get an error? I just copy-paste the whole error message into the LLM and say nothing else. Usually, it fixes itself.
- I accept all diffs without reading them.
- If something is broken and the model can’t fix it immediately, I just ask for random changes until it somehow goes away.
There’s no big plan.
There’s no tight architectural control.
There’s no careful code review.
It’s pure vibes.
Why It Works (At Least, Sometimes)
- LLMs are ridiculously competent at 80% of development tasks now. Styling tweaks, boilerplate generation, simple bug fixes — they can do it faster than a human ever could manually.
- Conversational interfaces are now so fast and natural that the friction between idea and implementation is nearly gone.
- Weekend projects, prototypes, or throwaway apps don't require perfection. They just need to exist.
When the stakes are low, speed beats discipline.
The Principles of Vibe Coding
I didn't set out to invent a new workflow, but looking back, here are some of the core principles I've stumbled into:
| Principle | Description |
|---|---|
| Speak, don't type | Voice-to-code drastically reduces friction. |
| Intent over detail | Focus on what you want, not how to write it. |
| Accept and move | Trust the model. Accept changes without micromanaging. |
| Error surfing | Errors aren't problems — they're just new prompts. |
| Emergent architecture | Let the codebase grow naturally, not perfectly. |
| Optimize for momentum | Keep moving forward, even if the path is messy. |
But... Is It Dangerous?
Absolutely.
Let’s be clear: Vibe coding is not for production systems.
If you're building something critical — anything involving money, healthcare, security, or long-term maintenance — you cannot afford the chaos.
Some of the real risks include:
- Hidden technical debt: Bad patterns accumulate invisibly until they explode.
- Security vulnerabilities: Blindly accepting code could lead to serious exploits.
- Unmaintainable code: You might end up with a codebase that no human (including yourself) fully understands.
- Performance problems: Quick fixes often create slow, bloated systems under real load.
Vibe coding is best seen as phase one: an incredibly fast way to get something real into existence.
But if a project shows signs of growing up, you must graduate to a more traditional engineering mindset: structured reviews, intentional architecture, refactoring, testing.
Think of vibe coding like building sandcastles — wonderful, creative, temporary.
Not like laying the foundation for a skyscraper.
A Glimpse Into the Future
Honestly, what’s happening feels bigger than just "lazy coding."
Vibe coding is a preview of post-code development.
In the near future, most developers (and even non-developers) will interact with software creation at the level of feelings, intentions, and conversations.
Imagine:
- "Make this page more modern."
- "Optimize the backend for more users."
- "Fix the security holes."
And your agent(s) just... do it.
We are moving toward a world where code is not hand-written, but grown, cultivated, and steered by intent.
Where humans direct, and machines execute.
Finally
Vibe coding feels like magic — until it doesn't.
It’s freeing, powerful, and shockingly productive — but it’s also chaotic, brittle, and a little dangerous.
Use it when you can afford to, and know when to switch gears.
For me, it’s been an exhilarating ride:
Seeing an idea, saying it out loud, watching it happen...
without ever feeling like I "wrote" code at all.
If you’re feeling brave this weekend, try it. Stop coding. Start vibing.
Let’s see where the future takes us.
🚀
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