Vibe coding

Vibe coding is building software by describing what you want in plain language and letting the AI write the code, without reading what it produces. You prompt, it generates, you run it, and if something's off you describe the problem and let it fix it, staying in the flow rather than in the code. Andrej Karpathy coined the term in early 2025, with the line about giving in to the vibes and forgetting the code even exists.

Simon Willison drew a line worth keeping. If you read and understand what the AI wrote, that's just using it as a fast typing assistant. Vibe coding is the version where you skip that, judging it only by whether it runs. Skipping the review is what makes it quick. It's also how bugs and security holes slip through unseen.

Vibe coding shines for throwaway and low-stakes work: a quick prototype, a personal script, a weekend app, anything where a bug costs you nothing and speed is the whole point. It's also a fun way for non-coders to make working things that used to be out of reach.

Be careful the moment it stops being throwaway. Code you didn't read can carry bugs you won't see coming and security holes you won't think to check, so anything with real users or their data deserves a proper review before it ships. The honest rule: vibe-code the prototype, then read the code before anyone depends on it.