# What Kevin Roose Missed About Vibecoding *Vibecoding is more than just vibes—it’s unlocking new builders, new businesses, and a new way of thinking about software.* By [Hard Mode First](https://hardmodefirst.xyz) · 2025-03-04 ai, technology, startups, inclusion, diversity, building --- On Friday, I read [Kevin Roose’s _New York Times_ piece](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/27/technology/personaltech/vibecoding-ai-software-programming.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c&pvid=CFDB167C-727A-4301-97D4-96051959B95D) about how anyone can be a coder with just a single idea and a few well-constructed prompts to no-code AI tools. He explores the in-vogue concept of _vibecoding_, a newish phenomenon that's been taking the tech industry by storm (and leading to lots of [wild demos on social media](https://x.com/search?q=vibecoding&src=typed_query&f=top) about the AI doing the work for you). In Kevin's piece, he also shares some of the "software for one" tools he's built for himself without coding, largely micro-apps and bespoke productivity tools, like a meal planner that suggests recipes based on what’s in his fridge. I appreciate the growing awareness around this idea, but I think Kevin’s column only scratches the surface. There’s a much bigger story here—one that goes beyond personal productivity hacks and into the broader implications of how AI is reshaping who gets to build, what gets built, and how we think about software itself. I actually emailed Kevin on Friday with a few thoughts on what he might have missed. Since I haven’t heard back, I figured I’d share them here instead. * * * ### What He Missed: ![](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/callout/tip-icon.png) 1\. Vibecoding is transforming who can build things online. ----------------------------------------------------------- ### Why it Matters: There’s plenty of discussion about how these new AI-powered tools make it easier for anyone to build software, but we haven’t fully explored what happens when people outside the traditional tech sphere—those who look different, think differently, or come from entirely different backgrounds—start creating with them. The fact that women still make up only about [25% of software developers](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/women-tech-global-statistical-view-natia-kelaptrishvili-v37cf/)—and that women-founded startups receive [less than 3% of venture capital funding](https://www.forbes.com/sites/melissahouston/2024/10/22/why-women-get-less-than-3-of-vc-funding--and-what-we-can-do-about-it/)—is, frankly, an embarrassment. Why aren’t we treating no-code AI as a chance to finally—maybe—correct some of the damage from the past two decades? ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/a45256b339f0cbb9dbf247b71acf30b3.webp) Wouldn't it be nice (for once?) to see the face of a technologist look a little bit different? (image source: Flux) It’s no surprise when someone already embedded in tech picks up a new hobby using the latest tools. That pattern repeats with every new tech wave. But the more interesting question is: _who else_ is picking up these tools? What are they building? Or who else _might_? And how might people who have never touched a command line—who don’t even have the vocabulary for it—start conceptualizing entirely new kinds of problems? While Kevin shared a few examples in his article, I think he missed a big opportunity to invite many more diverse voices (particularly, voices of women and other under-represented groups) into this new narrative. It's anyone's guess about what will happen, so here's mine. We’ll start seeing less **“software for one”** and more **“software for the overlooked.”** Instead of just productivity hacks and meal planners, we’ll see tools designed for niche, marginalized, or historically ignored communities—built by the very people who understand their needs firsthand. By the way, when that happens, _vibecoding_ won’t just be about vibes. It will be a quiet but powerful shift, reshaping access, autonomy, and problem-solving on a much larger scale. Kind of a big deal. * * * ### What He Missed: ![](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/callout/information-icon.png) 2\. Vibecoding is for More than Just Hobby Projects --------------------------------------------------- ### Why It Matters: There's been a lot of talk about how apps like [Cursor](https://www.cursor.com/), [Bolt](https://bolt.new/), [Lovable](https://lovable.dev/), and [Vercel](https://vercel.com/) can get v1 prototypes out the door. Naturally, [good AI consultants are completely overbooked](https://x.com/bran_don_gell/status/1894727027799785639), and we're already starting to see [no-code AI trainings popping up](https://www.buildyourownapps.com/?affiliate_code=86e5a8), with [everyday hobbyists](https://www.dontco.de/) taking a swing at the same continuing education market as [major educational institutions](https://professionalonline2.mit.edu/no-code-artificial-intelligence-machine-learning-program). But the real story isn’t just about accessibility. It’s about what people are _doing_ with this newfound superpower. Kevin’s piece focused on the novelty factor—fun, niche projects—but missed the bigger picture: people aren’t just tinkering, they’re launching real businesses. Anyone following people like [Greg Isenberg](https://x.com/gregisenberg/) or [Ben Lang](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/benmlang_small-teams-are-the-future-now-is-the-activity-7296176430453854208-N29Q/) knows this isn’t a hypothetical _“What if?”_—it’s already happening. As someone doubling down on my own [AI-native, AI-built startup](https://hardmodefirst.xyz/15-years-in-tech-and-1-weekend-to-finally-build-an-app), I am seeing and feeling this shift firsthand. Stopping the narrative at _“vibes”_ is a huge oversight—because what’s happening right now is much bigger than that. * * * ### What He Missed ![](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/callout/warning-icon.png) 3\. This New Era of Building Requires a New Way of Thinking ----------------------------------------------------------- ### Why it Matters: There’s a distinct mindset to coding—part _vibes_, part _vocabulary_, and part _holistic, big-picture thinking_. The old-school image of a siloed technologist, focused only on the code, is fading fast. Because today, there’s the code… and then there’s _everything else_. And the more coding gets automated, the more important that _everything else_ becomes. This shift creates a new kind of power player: Someone who can code _a little bit_ but also brings skills from outside of tech—design, storytelling, systems thinking, business strategy. **Today’s generalist is tomorrow’s superthreat.** When coding becomes truly democratized (which, arguably, has already happened), building software isn’t the tricky part anymore. And if coding isn’t the hard part, then all the so-called **_backburner business skills_**—communication, creativity, domain expertise—become the new center of gravity. After all, in a world where _anyone_ can code, everyone will also need to be something _else_. Maybe that’s a gross oversimplification of what’s coming. But my point is this: _The narrative is changing_. This isn’t just about hobby projects or a fun, insider-only phenomenon. AI-driven coding is a _powerful_ shift that’s giving people agency, expanding access, and making skills outside of software development more essential than ever. And that’s a much bigger deal than just “vibes.” ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/f5baba8c2a7758ae563a30f5ea200eb3.webp) Something tells me that vibecoding is a bit more than just the vibes... (image source: Flux) * * * --- *Originally published on [Hard Mode First](https://hardmodefirst.xyz/what-kevin-roose-missed-about-vibecoding)*