What Is Vibe Coding? A Founder’s Guide
Vibe coding means building software by describing what you want to an AI tool and accepting the code it writes, often without reading it. For founders it has made prototypes cheap and fast. It hasn’t made production software risk-free.
What is vibe coding?
Vibe coding is building software by describing what you want in plain language to an AI tool, which writes, runs and fixes the code for you. Andrej Karpathy coined the term in February 2025 for coding where you ‘fully give in to the vibes’ and forget the code exists (his original post). Founders use it to build prototypes and simple apps without hiring developers.
How does it work in practice?
In practice you type a request such as ‘build a booking page where clients pick a time and pay a deposit’, the tool generates the app, you try it, and you ask for changes. Browser-based app builders handle hosting and databases for you; AI code editors work on code files on your computer and suit people who can read some code.
| Step | What you do | What the AI does |
|---|---|---|
| Describe | Explain the feature and who uses it | Plans the pages, data and logic |
| Generate | Wait, then review the result | Writes code, sets up the database, runs it |
| Test | Click through as a user would | Nothing, unless you ask it to write tests |
| Refine | Describe what’s wrong or missing | Edits the code, sometimes breaking other parts |
What is vibe coding good for?
Vibe coding is good for prototypes to show investors or customers, internal tools, landing pages, simple dashboards and first versions of products where speed of learning matters more than scale. It lets a founder test an idea in days instead of waiting months for a development budget.
Where does it fall short?
It falls short where mistakes are costly: security, payments, customer data, complex business logic and apps that must scale. Veracode’s 2025 study found 45% of AI-generated code samples introduced security flaws from the OWASP Top 10. The code runs, but nobody may understand it, which makes bugs slow to fix.
Source: Veracode, 2025 GenAI Code Security Report: code from more than 100 large language models across Java, Python, C# and JavaScript, published July 2025. Named, not linked.
Prototype with AI, protect with people.
Use vibe coding to learn fast. Bring in a developer before real customers’ data or money depends on the code.
Where should a founder start?
Start by deciding what you are building and why. If you are still testing whether anyone wants it, see what to build before product-market fit. Then read vibe code or hire a developer and what you can safely vibe code.
Frequently asked questions
What is vibe coding?
Building software by describing what you want to an AI tool, which writes and runs the code, often without you reading it.
Who coined the term vibe coding?
Andrej Karpathy, in a post in February 2025.
Can non-technical founders vibe code?
Yes, especially with browser-based app builders that handle hosting and databases.
Is vibe-coded software safe?
Not by default. Veracode’s 2025 study found 45% of AI-generated code samples had security flaws.
What can I build with vibe coding?
Prototypes, internal tools, landing pages, simple dashboards and first versions of products.
Do I still need developers?
Usually yes, for security, payments, customer data and scaling.
Sources & further reading
Tool prices come from each vendor’s pricing page on the date shown and change often. Security guidance draws on OWASP and platform documentation.