AI-Generated Software: The Vibe Coding Era §

Laura Wendel (@Lauramaywendel) - March 9, 2025 §

I think this is how the whole vibe coding / AI generated software will play out:

(1) Less complex apps can basically be one shotted / done in a few prompt. (2) More complex applications will become HARDER to develop, because engineers will have less of a grasp of their code base and become too reliant on AI with diminishing returns.

Replies §

Eleanor Berger (@intellectronica) - March 9, 2025 §

Sounds right, but most likely we are underestimating the ability of 2025Q3 AIs to just manage very complex codebases end-to-end flawlessly.

Jules (@my_catharsis0) - March 9, 2025 §

I was thinking about this exact thing today as I watched the context grow to insane levels eventually rate limiting me on every request. In the end, I just split the application up into smaller files manually and actually architected the thing properly. Back to vibe coding.

Matt Collins (@mattcollinsuk) - March 9, 2025 §

I’m not so sure. I think it’ll become increasingly common (in good teams) to have AI writing automated tests and refactoring code to improve modularity and we may, as a result, end up with less accidental complexity rather than more. §

My Notes/Thoughts: This is a counter-argument about how building complex software will paradoxically get more difficult because people have less of a clue when it comes to the hard problems. However, I don’t think that’s really a valid argument because AI would probably become smarter than any engineer currently is and so defeats the point.