Vibe coding is a programming approach where a human describes a problem in natural language and an LLM writes the code, shifting the developer's role from writing code to directing and reviewing an AI's output — often with minimal or no review of the generated code. ## Origin and Recognition Andrej Karpathy (OpenAI co-founder, former Tesla AI lead) coined the term in a viral X post on 2025-02-02: "There's a new kind of coding I call 'vibe coding', where you fully give in to the vibes, embrace exponentials, and forget that the code even exists... I just talk to Composer with SuperWhisper so I barely even touch the keyboard." The post built on his 2023 claim that "the hottest new programming language is English." Merriam-Webster added "vibe coding" as a "slang & trending" entry on 2025-03-08. It did not win Merriam-Webster's 2025 Word of the Year (that was "slop") but was named Collins Dictionary's 2025 Word of the Year. ## Defining Characteristics - **Natural-language instructions** instead of syntax — e.g. "decrease the padding on the sidebar by half" - **Minimal keyboard interaction** — voice tools (e.g. SuperWhisper) dictating directly to the AI - **"Accept all" review posture** — Karpathy: "I 'Accept All' always, I don't read the diffs anymore" - **Delegated error handling** — pasting error text back to the AI without independent diagnosis - **Comprehension below the code's complexity** — Karpathy: "The code grows beyond my usual comprehension" ## Distinct From AI-Assisted Programming Simon Willison draws the boundary on review, not tool use: "If an LLM wrote every line of your code but you've reviewed, tested and understood it all, that's not vibe coding in my book — that's using an LLM as a typing assistant." Vibe coding is specifically the *unreviewed* mode. > *Correction (2026-07-03)*: the original Perplexity capture attributed this quote to `simonwillison.net/2025/Mar/19/vibe-coding/`. It does not appear on that page — the verbatim source is Willison's 2025-03-06 post, `simonwillison.net/2025/Mar/6/vibe-coding/` (a comment he gave to Ars Technica). ## Benefits and Risks Cited advantages: lower barrier to entry for non-programmers, faster prototyping, more attention to creative/UX direction. Cited risks: lower code quality and maintainability, skill erosion from disuse, missed security issues, and poor fit for complex systems needing deep domain knowledge or tuned performance. [Unverified] — these claims trace to secondary commentary (note.com, wirelesswire.jp), not primary research; treat as informed opinion rather than measured outcomes. ## Vault Cross-References The vault holds ~25 atomic notes analyzing specific vibe-coding claims and consequences under `2 Resources/Topics/AI/` (e.g. skill atrophy, technical-debt accumulation, enterprise ceiling, requiring active steering) — this note is the origin/definition anchor those notes assume. --- *Source: [Perplexity search compilation](https://www.perplexity.ai/search/what-is-vibe-coding-AzMn8.AHTVudcd2NBU27AQ#0), cross-verified against [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vibe_coding), [Simon Willison, 2025-03-06](https://simonwillison.net/2025/Mar/6/vibe-coding/), and [Merriam-Webster](https://www.merriam-webster.com/slang/vibe-coding) — 2026-07-03*