Vibe Coding is Dead
Our read
While 'vibe coding' democratized AI building, it's a dead end for anyone serious about production-grade systems. The real game is 'agentic engineering,' where you leverage AI for 10x speed but still demand verifiable output and rigorous testing, because trust in AI isn't built on vibes.
Key findings
Vibe Coders: AI makes building accessible, fast, and experimental for everyone.
Agentic Engineers: Professional AI development requires structured, verifiable workflows for quality and scale.
Developers are actively debating the future of AI-assisted coding, moving beyond initial experimentation to scalable, reliable methods. Many are asking how to transition from quick prototypes to robust AI applications.
What happened
Andrej Karpathy's 'vibe coding', the rapid, experimental AI-assisted development that exploded last year, is now being declared obsolete by leading AI builders. The debate is whether this initial, free-wheeling phase of AI development is giving way to a more rigorous, 'agentic engineering' approach, or if the 'vibe' was just a stepping stone for pros.
The fight
- Vibe Coders
AI makes building accessible, fast, and experimental for everyone.
- Agentic Engineers
Professional AI development requires structured, verifiable workflows for quality and scale.
The brief
Andrej Karpathy's 'vibe coding', the rapid, experimental AI-assisted development that exploded last year, is now being declared obsolete by leading AI builders. The debate is whether this initial, free-wheeling phase of AI development is giving way to a more rigorous, 'agentic engineering' approach, or if the 'vibe' was just a stepping stone for pros.
The fight. Vibe Coders say AI makes building accessible, fast, and experimental for everyone. Agentic Engineers say Professional AI development requires structured, verifiable workflows for quality and scale.
Why now. Developers are actively debating the future of AI-assisted coding, moving beyond initial experimentation to scalable, reliable methods. Many are asking how to transition from quick prototypes to robust AI applications.
From the episode. Karpathy's 2026 Playbook: Build Agent-First or Perish (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsaaVXg28-8)