March 11th, 2025

Vibe coding is not coding

Vibe coding, introduced by Andrej Karpathy, enables AI to generate code from high-level queries, enhancing efficiency and allowing developers to focus on abstract reasoning in large codebases.

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Vibe coding is not coding

Vibe coding, a term introduced by Andrej Karpathy, refers to the practice of instructing AI to generate code based on high-level queries rather than writing individual lines of code. This approach transforms codebase development into a querying process, where developers leverage their understanding of the system to extract or modify data without needing to know every detail of the codebase. In large codebases, which can exceed 100,000 lines, this method becomes particularly advantageous as it allows developers to focus on abstract reasoning rather than the minutiae of coding. The use of AI in this context helps streamline the coding process, enabling humans to conceptualize and design while outsourcing the detailed, precise calculations to machines. This shift highlights the evolving relationship between human developers and AI, where large language models (LLMs) can translate human language into code, making coding more accessible and efficient.

- Vibe coding emphasizes high-level queries over detailed coding.

- It allows developers to work with large codebases without needing to know every detail.

- AI assists in coding by handling complex calculations and code generation.

- The approach enhances human conceptualization and design capabilities.

- LLMs facilitate the translation of human language into code, improving efficiency.

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By @thedanbob - 2 months
> AI-assistance will be particularly helpful and powerful in large codebases (think 100k+ lines of code). It’s simply impossible for any human being to fully understand that amount of code in detail… Even PROs/craftsmen who enjoy writing the code manually can’t make such claims. Our context windows are simply not large enough.

This is a false premise because LLMs do not understand code. Yes, they may be capable of ingesting your entire massive codebase and spitting back out relevant stuff, but they don't actually understand any of it. Vibe coding is just "copy/paste from StackOverflow until it works" on steroids.

By @zippyman55 - 2 months
Retired now, but I may come back as a LLM Vibe Engineer.