So I was doing some research on AI tools and putting together some resources using NotebookLM when I came across an interesting AI podcast which just happened to be in Swedish. Fortunately, AI made translating it pretty straightforward.
During the discussion, a founder named Philip Alm used a phrase I had not heard before, called "vibe computing". The more I thought about it, the more I felt it perfectly described a shift that's already happening in front of us. You see, over the past year, we have heard a lot about vibe coding. Developers describe what they want, AI generates the code, and software gets built faster than ever before.
But what if coding is only the beginning? What if the same pattern expands beyond software development and becomes the way we interact with computers altogether? That's where vibe computing comes in.
For reference, the original discussion can be found in Magnus Paues LinkedIn post here Magnus Paues LinkedIn Post. And, you can find Philip Alm on X/Twitter here Philip Alm.
We Already Understand Vibe Coding
Most developers are familiar with vibe coding already. Instead of manually writing every function, component, API route, and database query, you increasingly describe the outcome you are trying to achieve.
You might tell an AI assistant to "Build me a SaaS dashboard with authentication, billing, and a customer analytics page." Or "Refactor this React component and improve its performance." The AI handles much of the implementation. Tools such as Cursor, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, and Codex have made this workflow increasingly common.
The important thing isn't that AI writes code. The important thing is that the relationship between humans and computers is changing. Traditionally, developers translated ideas into code. The computer could only act once it received explicit instructions. With vibe coding, the developer focuses more on intent and outcomes. The AI becomes responsible for translating those intentions into implementation.
The human starts acting less like an operator and more like a director, but coding isn't special; it's basically one area of computer work.
Vibe Coding Is a Subset of Vibe Computing
Vibe computing takes the same idea and applies it to everything else we do on a computer. We no longer describe how to perform a task; we describe the result we want.
If vibe coding looks like this:
Build a Next.js dashboard with authentication, Stripe billing, and a customer analytics page.
Then, vibe computing might look like this in programming:
agent.run(
"""
Follow up with everyone from last week's
product demo, attach the latest report,
schedule a meeting for next week, and
update our CRM.
"""
)
The interesting part isn't the code itself. What's happening behind the scenes is. The AI agent might send emails, update records, create calendar events, and interact with multiple applications without the user specifying each individual step.
The system is capable of figuring out the steps, on its own for example:
Imagine you need to:
- Send a follow up email to everyone who attended a meeting
- Attach a report
- Update a CRM
- Schedule a follow up call
- Create a summary document
In the past, you would jump between applications, copy information around, and manually execute each step. In a vibe computing world, you simply say something like: "Follow up with everyone from last week's product demo, include the latest report, schedule a call for next week, and update our records."
The system handles the rest. The difference sounds small, but it's huge. You are no longer operating software. You are directing outcomes.
A vibe coding flow is illustrated in this diagram.
The End of the Operator
For decades, using computers effectively required learning their language. You learned menus, keyboard shortcuts, folder structures, and application specific workflows. If you wanted to create a chart, you learned Excel. If you wanted to edit a photo, you learned Photoshop. If you wanted to build software, you learned programming languages. Software literacy became valuable because computers demanded translation. Humans had to think like machines, and the better you understood the machine's rules, the more productive you became. That's the model most of us grew up with.
Vibe computing flips that relationship because humans used to adapt to software, now software adapts to humans. The translation burden moves from the user to the machine. We don't need to learn every workflow, menu, and shortcut; we just describe the outcome we want. The computer figures out the execution while the human focuses on intent. If this trend continues, it could prove to be a bigger shift than the move from desktop computers to smartphones.
What Vibe Computing Looks Like Today
We are already seeing early examples emerge. Vibe coding tools such as Cursor and Claude Code focus on software development. They help generate, modify, and understand code. Vibe computing tools go further than that, as projects like OpenClaw and Hermes Agent are exploring systems that can interact with applications, manage workflows, perform multi step tasks, and operate computers on behalf of users.
We have gone from generating code for a task, to having systems that can aim and execute the task itself. Meanwhile, companies like Incredible, are exploring voice first experiences built around similar ideas. The technology is still evolving, but the direction feels clear as the goal isn't simply generating better text. The goal is to enable computers to understand intentions and carry out meaningful work across multiple systems.
You can see what vibe coding looks like today as shown in this diagram. It's common to use tools like Cursor, OpenClaw and Hermes Agent. A voice interface can easily automate the whole process with less manual intervention.
The New Fluency
Whenever a technology shift happens, an old skill becomes less important, and a new one becomes more valuable. If computers increasingly handle execution, what happens to software fluency? Do keyboard shortcuts matter as much? Do complex menus matter as much? Do users need to understand every workflow behind every application?
I think it's probably less than before. That doesn't mean expertise disappears, though; it means expertise changes.
The new fluency could be:
- Knowing exactly what outcome you want
- Communicating clearly
- Providing useful context
- Exercising judgment
- Having good taste
Two people can give an AI the same task and receive completely different results. The difference often isn't technical skill; it's closer to clarity. As execution becomes automated, the ability to define objectives becomes increasingly valuable. The skill isn't pushing buttons; it is knowing which buttons should be pushed in the first place.
Conclusion
Vibe coding was just the beginning. You see, vibe coding captured people's attention because it transformed one of the most complex activities performed on computers: writing software. But the underlying idea is much bigger than coding. The same pattern can apply to email, research, scheduling, analysis, administration, file management, customer support, content creation, and countless other workflows.
That's why Philip Alm's phrase stuck with me. Vibe coding describes a new way to create software, whereas vibe computing describes a new way to interact with computers altogether.
For decades, we operated computers by learning their rules and translating our intentions into commands; now, computers are learning how to translate our intentions into actions. Vibe coding might eventually be remembered as the first visible sign of that change. Vibe computing is the name for the broader shift that's already underway.
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