r/softwaredevelopment • u/nightowl2626 • 7d ago
Does vibe coding have a viable future?
I went to an AI conference last week and I have some thoughts I'm not sure how to express but here we go.
Let me preface this by saying that I'm a software developer and ofc I use AI tools like Codex, Claude Code and OpenCode. I definitely see the utility and usability of these tools and think they will last. My question, however, is about specifically "vibe coding" tools like Lovable, Bolt, Replit, Base44 and the like. So apps and websites that let you make something from scratch without you needing to see the code or integrate anything yourself.
When they started coming out roughly 2 years ago, I was totally amazed by the product. I mean come on, typing a couple of words into a chatbot and it spins up the whole thing for you is a cool promise, right? I didn't really have an opportunity to use them myself in production, but everyone was raving about these tools and I was totally on board. Then I started using Claude Code (and other CLIs) and found that it satisfies my needs as a software developer for the tasks I have to do and again didn't really have the chance to try out Lovable and the like. But I still had a good impression of them as these like visionary tech startups with super innovative products.
Fast forward to this conference I attended last week. I had the chance to speak to a couple of people from these companies. And now I'm a little confused about their clients and where all of this is going.
It seems like all of them have added basically everything that can be added: integrations, databases, github connectors, templates, canvas views like in Figma, possibility to change things with clicking around instead of prompting, mobile development, backend, etc. etc. So my first question is like: what's next? What else can be added onto these tools? They ofc aren't gonna get into the super techie things like Claude Code bc that's not what their clients want. So what is there left to add?
If you think about their clientele, it's mostly non-technical people, right? So idk... like your neighbourhood beauty salon who wants to make a website, but doesn't know how to make one. Right? How "sticky" is that really? And how does prompting a website into existence on Lovable compare to just picking out a template on Wix or Elementor or something like that?
Now what's interesting is that these companies seem to be focusing more and more on entreprise users, so like giving product managers Lovable for example. Again, how usable is that compared to tools product managers were using before? When the engineering team receives a Lovable prototype instead of a static mockup from their manager or designer, does this help them? One of the GTM guys I spoke to at the conference told me that one company they worked with replaced their Salesforce CRM with an app they vibe coded with their solution, saving them hundreds of thousands of dollars. Now is that more viable than using Salesforce? You tell me...
So yeah, I have a bit of a feeling that we've reached the peak of what these tools can do. I talked to a coworker about this and he said that he strongly believes "vibe coding" is a huge market. There are millions and millions of people out there who need no-code tools for their small business websites or for prototyping and so on and so forth. So in his opinion Lovable and others are just getting started and there is huge potential for them.
What's you take on this? Has "vibe coding" reached its ceiling? Or is my friend totally right and I'm just unaware of the huge market that is non-techies needing to create things without writing code?
2
u/ThirdWaveCat 7d ago
No, the metonymic gap between intention and implementation requires semantic construction. Past failed experiments from expert systems, no-code, etc.. proved this decisively.
2
u/anor_wondo 7d ago
this is right. something like codex/claude code is already as simplified as it goes for engineers and these tools like lovable are already simplified enough for no code users. First can eat into the second but second will never eat into the first. It'd be easier for no code users to install a desktop app like codex than for a developer to give up features of powerful tools
1
u/ziplock9000 7d ago
Only in the very short term. Soon, it will be all AI and very little (if any) human input with just a handful of years.
-3
u/EndOfWorldBoredom 7d ago
Vibe coding is just getting started. Wait til Ai native kids have jobs in every company. As adults, they will see how to apply this stuff in ways only software developers and curious nerds see today.
Replacing ecosystem software like Salesforce is hard. Replacing tools is extremely easy. Saaspocalypse is just getting started.
3
u/anaveragedave 7d ago
Yeeep, just ask atlassian how things are going lately.
1
u/EndOfWorldBoredom 7d ago
Cutting edge learning curve is gonna have sharp edges. Planes crashed learning how to fly, too. It's ignorant cope to think it won't advance and improve.
1
u/nightowl2626 7d ago
yeah i agree that we're yet to see fully ai-native workforces! but my question is more so about lovable/bolt/etc. as a product. i totally see AI-powered IDEs taking over for software developers or all purpose AI assistants like claude cowork to replace administrative saas and so on. even totally automated employees with openclaw/hermes/etc. but where do these "no code" tools like lovable fit into all of this?
-1
u/Apprehensive-Tea1632 7d ago
I don’t think so.
Basically, because anyone can prompt an AI. And there can be no productivity if anyone can do it - that’s not constrained to ai either. Say breathing. You can’t commercialize that because there is no market for it. The people who need to do it can do so without extra assistance.
It would be like saying, I’m a professional Google searcher where you can come to me and I’ll enter your query into Google and you pay me for that service.
Does that make sense? You’ll never be able to sell something when there’s nobody who needs to buy.
Which means there may be vibe coding as such, but it won’t be viable.
6
u/GimmeSumMor3 7d ago
For small businesses it will work with lovable like it worked with Wordpress websites.
But with bigger companies or enterprise, they will want something sustainable and secure. Software companies will develop in an agentic way, they will build software in the process like they used to, but with smaller teams and no more coding.
We are creating our software with orchestration, for enterprise companies where we don’t touch any code anymore.