I built a $1M App in 5 hours
I just shipped [cool app]! That was built in 3 hours with AI
I make $250k/month from 20 apps.
You must have come across videos or tweets like this these days. Your 14-year-old neighbor’s son is probably shipping one as we speak.
When building gets this easy, you stop asking if you should build something. You just build it.
I’ve been there. Three years into my software development journey, and I’ve fallen into this trap more times than I’d like to admit. I’m the guy who always comes up with ideas. I’m visual, so anytime something pops into my head, I open up Lovable or Bolt, write in some prompts, and boom—three hours later my idea is a working app.
These apps aren’t bad apps. Some actually solve real problems. The issue is deeper than that.
Let me tell you why your vibe-coded app will fail, and it’s not for the reason you think.
The Real Problem: You Don’t Control Your Own Code
Everyone talks about vibe-coded apps failing because they solve the wrong problems. That’s part of it. But the real killer is that you don’t control your codebase. The AI does.
I had an idea that I was convinced would solve a real problem. And it would have—the concept was solid. So I vibe-coded my way through it using AI. The app looked great and worked perfectly, and I was feeling good about myself.
I started getting a lot of users. And that’s when everything went south.
The app started breaking constantly due to security vulnerabilities I didn’t even know existed. The tech stack the AI chose wasn’t something I was familiar with then, so when there were critical issues, I was always stuck. I was just sitting there watching my app fall apart, waiting for the AI to understand my problem and fix it.
Sometimes it couldn’t.
I realized I had built something I couldn’t maintain.
The Four Ways AI Will Kill Your App
1. You’re Stuck With Whatever the AI Thinks
When something breaks in your app in a frustrating way, you’re stuck waiting for the AI to understand your problem through natural language. Good luck explaining complex technical issues in plain English.
2. Customization are Limited
Your customization options are limited to what the AI is capable of. Do you want to add a specific feature that requires deep technical knowledge? I hope you can explain advanced algorithms in simple terms.
There are developers out there spending hours trying to get AI to implement something that would take 30 minutes if they just wrote it themselves.
3. Hidden Security Vulnerabilities Kill Your App Silently
AI generates code that works, not code that’s secure. You wouldn’t know of any vulnerabilities until someone exploits them. And when that happens, you run back to the AI, hoping the AI understands cybersecurity principles.
4. Technical Debt Piles up Behind the Scenes
When it comes to functional codes, AI does that perfectly these days. But is it maintainable? I don’t think so. Your app might handle 100 users effectively, but when it gets to 1000+ users, it starts breaking.
Why This is Especially Dangerous for Beginner Developers
If you’re just starting your web development journey, vibe coding with AI is like learning to drive in a self-driving car. You might get to your destination, but you have no idea how you got there.
When technical issues occur that need actual technical solutions, not natural language prompts, you’ll end up frustrated and stuck.
AI should be a tool for tasks you CAN do but would take too long. If you’re a beginner using AI to build apps, you better be familiar with the tech stack the AI chooses. How else will you debug issues the AI can’t fix?
My advice to junior developers: if you’re using VS Code, disable GitHub Copilot for now. You honestly don’t need code completions at the moment. Learn programming the right way first. Copilot should guide you when you know what you’re doing but can’t remember the syntax—not think for you when you don’t know what to think.
The Problem With User Feedback
If you’ve built a prototype or an app already, and you’re seeking validation from a target audience, be careful. Most of the time you hear advice like “just listen to your users.”
Yes, users can tell you what’s broken, but they can’t tell you what to build next.
Some developers build exactly what users request, then wonder why their app has a lot of features nobody really wants.
Users asked for faster horses, not cars. They asked for better candles, not light bulbs.
I’ve come to notice a pattern about successful builders, which is that they listen to the problems users describe, not the solutions they suggest. They identify patterns across complaints. They always have a vision and say no to most feature requests.
Steve Jobs didn’t build Apple by asking users what they wanted. He built it by understanding what they needed, even when they couldn’t articulate it.
The Money-Making Fantasy
Most vibe coders think they’re building profitable businesses fast. But what happens after you make some profit and start having issues that require technical knowledge? Or when security vulnerabilities arise?
They kill the app and move on to the next shiny idea, or hire developers to fix the issues, which costs a lot.
That’s not a business model. That’s just jumping from project to project.
The Right Way to Use AI (It’s Not Your Destination)
Don’t get me wrong, AI has come to stay, and we should embrace it. But AI shouldn’t be your destination. It should be a bus stop.
Validate → Prototype → Customize
If you have an idea that’s been validated by your target audience and you’re sure it’s a solution to a problem, not a solution looking for a problem, then absolutely use AI to prototype quickly. Don’t waste time wireframing when you could have a working version.
But then you customize. You take control.
- You should always be able to add features that require technical knowledge.
- You should be able to handle security vulnerabilities like SQL injections.
- Your app might handle 100 users perfectly, but what about 1,000+ users when it starts breaking? Don’t you think you should be in control of that?
What Programmers Should Actually Do
AI makes you more powerful as a developer.
Use AI to handle the boring stuff like boilerplate code, basic CRUD operations, and UI components that you might have built before. Save your brain for the interesting problems like architecture decisions, performance optimization, and complex business logic. These are what AIs struggle with.
Focus your human brain on what humans do best. Things like thinking strategically, understanding context, and so much more.
The Hard Truth
Building the first version was never the hard part. Any decent AI can build together a working prototype in hours. The hard part is what comes after:
- Scaling under real load
- Handling edge cases users find
- Maintaining code quality as features multiply
- Debugging complex production issues
- Making architectural decisions that support growth These problems require understanding, not just code generation.
What You Should Actually Do
If you’re going to vibe code (and honestly, you probably should for rapid prototyping), do it right:
Validate and use AI to prototype quickly: — this is where it shines
Learn the tech stack your AI uses: — you should be able to speak its language when things break
Transition to manual control before scaling: — rewrite critical parts in code you understand
Focus on problems, not solutions:— listen to user pain points, not feature requests
Plan for maintenance from day one :— your prototype needs to become a product
Quick prototyping is valuable. But mistaking a prototype for a product is where things go wrong.
So validate your idea. Vibe code your prototype. Then take control of your codebase before you scale.
Because the moment you can’t fix your own app is the moment it stops being your app.
Keep learning, keep building, keep asking questions. That’s how you turn curiosity into mastery.
What’s your worst coding mistake? Share it below, trust me, you’re not alone.
Top comments (0)