Dear Vibe Coder: Let’s Talk
I’m going to say the quiet part out loud:
Your app works.
Your demo looks cool.
Your code is absolute garbage.
And before you get mad and quote-tweet this, relax. This isn’t an anti-AI rant. I use AI every single day. Everyone should. If you’re not using AI in 2026, you’re already behind.
The problem isn’t AI.
The problem is vibe coding culture, and how it’s slowly poisoning what it means to be a developer.
What the Hell Is “Vibe Coding,” Anyway?
Vibe coding is when:
- You don’t really understand the code
- You don’t care how it works
- You just “feel” that it’s correct
- And if it breaks, you regenerate it until it stops breaking
It’s coding by vibes, prompts, and optimism.
It looks amazing on social media:
“Built a SaaS in 48 hours with GPT 🚀🔥”
What you don’t see:
- No tests
- No error handling
- No idea why it works
- No chance of maintaining it six months later
It’s not engineering. It’s content creation.
AI Didn’t Make This Worse, It Exposed It
Here’s the uncomfortable truth:
Bad developers existed long before AI.
But AI removed the friction that used to expose them.
Before, if you didn’t understand async code, you were stuck.
If you didn’t understand state, your app broke.
If you didn’t understand databases, production humbled you fast.
Now?
You paste an error into an LLM, nod at the explanation you didn’t read, and ship.
The app works.
The understanding never arrived.
The Real Damage Happens Later
Vibe coding doesn’t fail immediately. That’s the scary part.
It fails:
- When traffic grows
- When requirements change
- When the AI suggestion is almost right
- When someone else has to read your code
- When you have to read your code in three months
I’ve seen teams waste weeks untangling AI-generated spaghetti because nobody understood the logic behind it, including the person who wrote it.
And guess who gets blamed?
Not the vibes.
Not the tool.
The developer.
“But It Works” Is Not a Technical Argument
This is where vibe coders lose me completely.
Yes, it works.
So does duct tape.
So does a shell script written at 3 a.m.
So does pushing to main on Friday.
Working is the minimum requirement, not the goal.
Engineering is about:
- Predictability
- Maintainability
- Tradeoffs
- Understanding failure modes
If your entire development strategy is “the AI will fix it,” you’re not building software, you’re gambling with extra steps.
Using AI Is Mandatory. Understanding Code Is Non-Negotiable.
Let’s be very clear:
If you’re a developer in 2026 and you’re not using AI, you’re doing it wrong.
But if you’re using AI instead of thinking, you’re also doing it wrong.
AI should:
- Speed you up
- Reduce boilerplate
- Help you explore solutions
- Catch obvious mistakes
AI should not:
- Replace your mental model
- Decide architecture for you
- Debug things you don’t understand
- Be the only reason your app works
The best developers today aren’t vibe coders.
They’re AI-augmented engineers.
Big difference.
Why This Is Killing Junior Developers
Here’s the saddest part.
New developers see vibe coding and think:
“Oh, this is how professionals work now.”
So they skip fundamentals.
They skip debugging.
They skip learning how systems actually behave.
Then they hit the job market.
And companies aren’t hiring vibe coders.
They’re hiring people who can:
- Read ugly legacy code
- Debug production issues
- Explain why something broke
- Fix problems without regenerating the universe
That’s why juniors are stuck.
That’s why “entry-level” jobs now ask for 3–5 years of experience.
That’s why vibe coding is doing more harm than good.
If This Offends You, Good.
If this article makes you angry, ask yourself why.
Because deep down, most vibe coders know the truth:
They’re shipping faster, but understanding less.
They’re productive today, fragile tomorrow.
They look senior on Twitter and junior in real codebases.
You don’t have to quit AI.
You don’t have to go full “handwritten assembly” either.
You just have to care.
Care about how things work.
Care about reading code.
Care about fundamentals.
Care about the people who will inherit your mess.
Last Thought
AI didn’t ruin programming.
Vibe coding didn’t either.
But pretending vibes are a substitute for understanding?
That absolutely will.
Use AI.
Ship fast.
Build cool stuff.
Just don’t confuse speed with skill.
And please, for the love of every future teammate,
learn the basics.
Your app depends on it.
Your career depends on it.
And so does the industry you’re trying to join.
So… are you vibe coding?
Or are you actually engineering?
Let’s argue in the comments.
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