In early February 2025, Andrej Karpathy, Openai’s CO Founder and widely respected computer scientist, posted what sparked: “Vibe Coding.” The post quickly gained over 4.5 million views.
“There’s a new kind of coding that I call ‘vibe coding.’ Here we succumb to the atmosphere completely, accept exponential functions, and even forget that codes exist. llms (for example cursor composer w sonnet) is getting too good, so ask superwhisper. Half because I find it a hassle,” Carpathy shared with X.
The idea was simple but bold. Write code through plain language prompts using AI tools such as cursor composers and large-scale language models (LLM). It was set on fire immediately. Karpathy described it as a process of “suffing completely into the atmosphere, accepting exponential functions, and even forgetting that code exists.” Within a few hours, all of Silicon Valley was in it.
What is atmospheric coding?
At its core, Vibe Coding is the practice of writing software by speaking and entering plain language instructions into AI, generating actual code. Instead of making a fuss about the syntax and structure, developers will explain what they need, such as “add login form” or “reduce the sidebar”, and AI will build it. The term was coined by Karpathy, who encouraged developers to “sweep into the atmosphere” and encouraged AI to handle the rest.
Vibe coding promise
The pitch was fascinating: consult with the AI and get the code right away. Karpathy’s excitement was contagious. Skip the syntax, explain what you want, and let the AI fill in the rest. Developers, founders and enthusiasts rushed to the ground.
The people of X share their first impressions of shining. One post says, “There’s literally something crazy going on. I can’t believe it. I created an industry-grade web app using Cursor and Claude code under 100 US in four days. This is literally crazy!” Some founders with zero coding experience suddenly had started a startup from scratch. For experienced developers, it has become a productivity booster. IA handled the boring things while focusing on ideas.
The appeal was clear: less typing, faster results, and a sense of freedom. Karpathy himself boasted of using voice commands such as “reduce sidebar padding by half” because he didn’t want to touch the keyboard. Suddenly, everyone was able to create something. Or was it that way?
I tried a vibe that uses Deepseek to code myself. Our prompt was simple: “You are a website developer. Code is the latest little digital marketing landing page.” Results? Surprisingly solid – built everywhere.
Why AI-generated code often collapses
The sparkle wore off as more people tried it. What initially felt magic was often turned into frustration. One user wrote: “The first 30 minutes were so much fun, but after a while you start to hit the wall. AI is writing slops, causing all sorts of annoying bugs and issues.”
Others reflected the same emotions: fast does not mean right. The code may work, but it is often not. The code generated by AI becomes bloated, repeated and messy. And when bugs pop up, fixing them becomes a useless movement. One user summed it up like this: “It’s not fixed yet… Yeah, you did the same thing twice before.
Debugging with AI (now called “vibe debugging”) allows you to ask the same question over and over again and feel like you want a better answer than never coming. Stuck in a loop with vague fixes that don’t address the actual problem.
The hidden risks behind AI-assisted coding tools
Several high-tech publications have looked into what is actually happening. According to Business Insider, Vibe Coding demands more than just casual prompts. Clear thinking, strong communication and understanding patterns are required. Not everyone has it. Without them, users send vague requests to the AI to retrieve the trash.
Zdnet warned, “until your AI assistant starts overwriting your work,” and “feels like magic.” This is especially dangerous for beginners who don’t always know what AI is doing behind the scenes. One developer wrote, “The more you generate it, the more bugs creep up.” Another is, “You should stop learning. You just copy and hope it works.”
Bloomberg pointed out that companies should not yet rush to replace developers. These AI tools can be fast, but they are still not reliable in high-stakes environments.
Security risks of vibe coding for non-technical builders
Then there’s security. On March 15th, a user named Leo proudly shared that his entire SaaS was constructed with cursors. There is no handwritten code. And yes – people were paying for it.
My Sars was constructed with cursor, zero handwritten code
ai is no longer just an assistant, it’s also a builder
Now you can continue whining about it or start a building.
PS Yes, people pay for it
– Leo (@leojr94_) March 15, 2025
Just two days later, things went south. “Everyone, I’m under attack,” he posted. The API keys were maximized, people were bypassing the paywalls, and his database was full of junk. “You know, I’m not technical,” he admitted, saying he would stop sharing details about his project because of “strange ppl.”
Everyone, I’m under attack
Since I started sharing how I built SaaS using cursors
Something random is happening, usage with API keys, bypass subscriptions and create random shit in DB
As you know, I’m not technical, so this puts me in normal times…
– Leo (@leojr94_) March 17, 2025
The indie hacker covered his story in detail. His app had obvious flaws. Public API keys, paywalls that can be bypassed, and other newcomers’ mistakes. In this article, we warned that fast-built projects like Leo are easy targets for attackers. Another user of X is frankly saying: “If you don’t know the code in the atmosphere coding… your app is bloated and has security issues.”
Yahoo’s work added that non-technical users might request something like a “secure database” and get half-baked stuff that fails under pressure. result? Stress, data leaks, and money leaks.
Then there’s a scaling problem. Developer Mehul Gupta said, “Atmosphere coding is perfect for toy projects. But if you’re building reality, reality is a different hit.” Karpathy might be able to manage the confusion. Most of it can’t be done.
Vibe coding hype and reality
There is no doubt that the coding is interesting. Take advantage of the true desire for faster and easier development. But there is a gap between what it promises and what it actually offers, especially between people with no deep technical experience.
I stepped carefully, as Geekwire warned startups earlier this month. The idea of 10 engineers doing 100 jobs sounds great. But if the app crashed, data leaked, or was it a wasteful spaghetti mess?
Still, all this chaos may cause better tools to the line. Wired noted that the complaints encourage developers to demand smarter and safer AI coding assistants.
For now, Vibe Coding is perfect for low-stakes experiments, including weekend side projects, quick prototypes, and things you can’t throw away. Know that if you go all in without knowing what you’re doing, the atmosphere can get worse and worse.
Warning Stories
Vibe Coding’s meteor rise reflects a true leap in AI-assist development, but with a string. Sloppy code, annoying debugging cycles and security gaps quickly eased the excitement. As Geekwire said on March 20, 2025: “We’ll approach it carefully.” The idea that 10 engineers can surpass 100 sounds incredible on paper. But in reality, it often falls apart – just ask users like Leo.
Still, chaos is fueled by important things. Wired suggested on March 25th that these early stumblings could lead to smarter and safer tools in the future. It’s a tool that balances creativity between speed, structure and security.
For now, Vibe Coding has locations such as weekend hacks, quick MVPs, and early prototypes. But if you’re building something that lasts a long time, you might want to refrain from succumbing to the vibe, at least until the tools catch up.
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