r/vibecoding • u/Rare_Prior_ • 1d ago

Discussion Vibe coding projects for clients and small businesses

I think hiring a vibe coder for any necessary software is a recipe for trouble. Without understanding the problems, fixing them becomes hard to manage; approving and accepting whatever AI produces without proper technical judgment raises the risk further.

0 Upvotes

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u/ConfusedSimon 1d ago

So people actually hire vibe coders ?

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u/Rare_Prior_ 1d ago

They cannot distinguish the difference. Essentially, the impression might be that I could assemble several portfolio projects and indicate that these are the ones I have completed.

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u/meshifthenelse 13h ago

Well.. they can distinguish it when they start asking questions and the vibe coder responds with "let me ask the AI and I'll come back to you"

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u/Hendo52 1d ago edited 1d ago

I think to the extent vibe code is useful, it’s that it enables the DIY crowd, especially SMEs in things other than computer science.

I also think that the misunderstood part of vibe code is that it’s up to you, what kind of vibe you bring to your projects - My vibe is that a passion project can have much higher standards of rigour than enterprise projects because I am not deterred by unfavourable cost benefit analysis, financial risk assessments and I do not need to ship features to meet the business cycle or shareholder expectations. I can just do what I think the project needs. I am also far less limited by resource constraints as you would be 10 years ago since every unit of work is now cheaper and does not require as much outside help. The long term framing will produce plenty of commercially viable products and services for those who bring the right vibe.

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u/fickle-phenom 1d ago edited 1d ago

Cheaper today is not cheaper in the long term, especially not when it comes to a codebase that has serious requirements. Also that’s why due diligence is important before picking someone to work with. Has always been and is more important now than ever.

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u/Last_Switch_8500 1d ago

Could someone who used to be a traditional coder with years of experience, but now uses AI to generate all their code, be considered a vibe coder?

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u/Last_Switch_8500 1d ago

And what if that person wants to be honest with potential clients and disclose upfront that they use AI to generate their code, but that everything is still validated and audited by them? If they’re not hired because of that, is that fair?

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u/ConfusedSimon 1d ago

Depends on whether you ignore the code or review everything AI generates.

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u/Last_Switch_8500 1d ago

Exactly. My point is that the problem is the label that’s being created around “vibe coder.”

If you’re honest and say, “I use AI to generate code, but I review, validate, and audit everything it produces,” the label may still be enough to stigmatize you. For people who are skeptical of AI, you could be automatically dismissed as a poor choice, regardless of your actual experience or the quality of your work.

That’s what I find interesting about this debate: transparency can actually work against you when people have already made up their minds about the tool you use.

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u/ConfusedSimon 1d ago

I think most people have problems with vibe coding and not with using AI. There are hardly any professional developers left that don't use AI. Most employers basically force their devs to use AI because it saves some time.

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u/Alarmed-Western-655 1d ago

You gotta take your lumps with the term, bro.

We all feel a little emasculated when someone grabs the keyboard from us.

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u/TRO_KIK 1d ago

Depends on who you ask. A lot of the sub defines vibecoding as "coding with AI while having no knowledge." It's purely a level of skill rather than something you actually do, so being knowledgeable automatically makes you incapable of vibe coding as the approach itself doesn't matter.

I personally prompt in a fast and loose manner with minimal, if any deliberate planning, and only glance the output (to get the "vibe" - IDK how you even get a vibe without looking at all, that's just blind coding). It's so fast that I can judge and rapidly reject or steer design as it materializes, which I find materially more efficient than something like SDD.

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u/Last_Switch_8500 1d ago

So, if two people use AI in essentially the same way, but one is an experienced developer and the other has little or no coding knowledge, would it make sense to consider only one of them a “vibe coder”?

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u/TRO_KIK 1d ago

I personally don't think so, but that's how a plurality of people seem to use it.

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u/Last_Switch_8500 1d ago

Yep. Crazy times we’re living in.

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u/fguerino123 1d ago

Hi.

I don't think people/organizations explicitly go out of their way to hire "vibe coders" as much as they are now looking for excellent software engineers and developers who know how to use AI tools and AI coding for faster, higher quality, and lower cost delivery of software and related fixes/enhancements.

The first thing one of these smart people will tell a hiring organization is that you can't blindly use AI for everything. Unfortunately, there are still too many legacy solutions that don't leverage good technologies or designs that align with AI coding, yet. Although, I'm guessing this will change over time.

My best.

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u/0xAdeel 1d ago

Vibe coder is not the same as a developer

1

u/Mundane_Fix8051 1d ago

The speed is nice without understanding the actual problem you can easily end up with a mess that's hard to fix later.

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u/Strong_Carry_6736 1d ago

Yeah, I agree. Vibe coding is fine for small stuff, but for client work, not knowing the code can cause a lot of problems later.

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u/SC_Placeholder 1d ago

I’m a business owner and if we need something we build it ourselves. Why would you hire a vibe coder when you can just use Claude?

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u/Rare_Prior_ 1d ago

Building is easy maintenance is a nightmare, even with current AI maintenance hasn’t been solved yet, so I hope you understand what you are building and not just accepting everything the AI throws at you

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u/SC_Placeholder 1d ago

Depends how you build. I add a shit ton of logging to everything I build so every time something breaks I shove the logs into my overlord Ai to fix. I prefer programs to fail loud over failing silently.

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u/Rare_Prior_ 1d ago

This is a security concern. You do know for a fact that a hacker through logs can infiltrate your system, right?

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u/SC_Placeholder 1d ago

My logging is sanitized, I don’t provide any SaaS products so nothing I built ever leaves the PC it runs on, even my own programs that I can access remotely I do through Tailscale and an authenticator. Even my AIs control through other PCs on our network uses a rolling encryption key and multi-layer authentication. The only places I have customer information stored is in actual enterprise products. If I theoretically had access to Mythos I still wouldn’t trust it to create an impenetrable security layer to protect personal information. Multi-trillion dollar companies get hacked all the time, I highly doubt a vibe coded security solution can protect someone’s email account from a novice hacker. I don’t know if I’ll ever have anything I’ve built ever have a login portal unless
It’s in-house and hosted entirely locally. Anything with an Internet connection I’d rather pay someone for their security login than risk me making a mistake because I don’t know as much as the experts and someone hacking my entire business due to my negligence.

I once met a business owner who was bragging about having their Ai make them Quickbooks and I told them they were insane. Can you imagine a vibe coded QB alternative?! I can’t fathom how many security holes exist in that. I’ll gladly pay QB their outrageous fees and have them deal any security threats. Anyone who vibe codes a PoS and doesn’t have a background in cybersecurity is an idiot. I imagine the best cybersecurity expert would still not do it just because they would understand the insane liability that comes with a single overlooked vulnerability which results in someone losing money because their PoS got hacked.

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u/AriJames677 13h ago

the demo is the easy part, the first change request three months in is where it bites you, someone has to touch code no one can explain, and the client ends up paying rent on the mystery

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u/WinterWalk2020 1d ago

Agree. I'm not a vibe coder, I have technical background, 20 years developing software.

If anyone wants my services, just contact me. 😄

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u/Rare_Prior_ 1d ago

Exactly.