Why I Don’t Vibe Code
The author explains their personal reasons for not adopting 'vibe coding' with AI and LLMs, citing cost concerns and a preference for traditional development methods. They reflect on their long experience in software development and skepticism toward new tools promising to eliminate coding effort. Drawing on Fred Brooks' ideas, they emphasize the enduring complexity of software and question whether AI can truly abstract away programming.
- ▪The author stopped using AI coding tools after running out of credits and being asked to provide payment for continued use.
- ▪They come from a family of frugal individuals and find the idea of paying perpetually for AI coding services absurd.
- ▪The author has extensive experience in software development and compares current AI hype to past low-code and no-code trends.
- ▪They reference Fred Brooks' 'No Silver Bullet' essay to argue that essential complexity in software cannot be eliminated by new tools.
- ▪Coding involves building layers of abstraction to manage real-world complexity, and the author is skeptical that AI can fully replace this process.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
March 05, 2026 A "brief" accounting of various reasons why vibe coding has just never clicked for me personally as a developer. There has been a lot of discussion online lately about vibe coding and and how Large Language Models (LLMs) will revolutionize the field of software development. Every new model will launch us into realms of pure productivity, shipping software at the speed of thought and removing all the friction and overhead of product development. Or something like that. Maybe. I’ll have to take your word for it. I don’t vibe code. If it’s working for you, great! I’m not really here to argue the merits or flaws of LLMs at depth here in this piece, but it’s just never clicked for me personally. This page is a “brief” accounting of various reasons why.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at jacobharr.is.
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