Who Coined Vibe Coding? The Origin Story You Need to Know
Andrej Karpathy coined vibe coding in early 2025. The term went viral. But what he actually meant is different from what most people think. Here is the real origin story and why it matters for how you build today.
What did Karpathy actually say about vibe coding?
In February 2025, Andrej Karpathy tweeted about a new way of coding where you describe what you want and the AI writes it. He called it “vibe coding” — a term he invented on the spot. The key line was: “It is a new kind of programming where you fully give in to the vibes, embrace exponentials, and forget that the code even exists.” Most people stopped there. They missed the second part: “I still look at the diff and accept/reject lines.”
The popular framing erased Karpathy’s qualifier. The internet turned “vibe coding” into “AI writes everything, I just vibe.” That is not what he said. He explicitly said you still review the diff. You still need to understand what the AI is producing. The “vibe” is about the flow state, not the abdication of responsibility. I made this mistake too — my first month of vibe coding I shipped without review because I thought that was the point. It was not. I was wrong.
The three parts: 1) Give in to the vibes — describe what you want, let the AI handle the syntax. 2) Embrace exponentials — let AI compound its own output by iterating. 3) Forget the code exists — focus on product outcomes, not implementation details. But the hidden fourth part is the most important: 4) Review the diff — you still need to understand what the AI changed and accept or reject each change. Most people copy 1-3 and skip 4. That is where the failures come from.
I think Karpathy’s framing is partly responsible for the “blind shipping” culture in vibe coding. By calling it “forgetting the code even exists,” he gave permission to skip review. I know he added the qualifier. But the phrase “forget the code exists” is what people remember. It is catchy. It is dangerous. I have seen beginners ship insecure code because they thought “forget the code exists” meant “do not look at the code.” It does not. It means “do not get attached to the code.” You still look at it. You still verify it. You just do not fall in love with your implementations.
How did vibe coding evolve from a tweet to a movement?
The term spread fast because it named something developers were already feeling. AI coding tools were getting good. People needed a word for the new workflow. “Vibe coding” filled that gap. Within weeks, Cursor integrated the term into their marketing. Replit used it. Bolt.new used it. Every AI coding tool wanted to be associated with the trend.
By mid-2025, vibe coding was a recognized workflow. Companies started hiring “vibe coding engineers.” Job posts wanted “prompt engineering for code” skills. Conferences had vibe coding tracks. The term evolved beyond Karpathy’s original definition. It became a catch-all for AI-assisted development. I think that dilution is fine — language evolves. But the original emphasis on review and acceptance is worth preserving.
Here is the diff between my current codebase and the AI-generated changes. Review every line. Flag anything that: changes existing behavior without reason, introduces security risks, uses inconsistent patterns, or adds unnecessary complexity. For each flag, explain why it matters and suggest the fix.
What does vibe coding mean in 2026, one year later?
In 2026, vibe coding means using AI as your primary development interface. Most people still use the term but it has split into two camps. “Vibe coding” now refers to lightweight, prompt-driven development. “Agentic engineering” refers to structured, multi-agent workflows with code review gates. Both descend from Karpathy’s original tweet but target different audiences.
My take: the term matters less than the practice. Whether you call it vibe coding, agentic engineering, or AI-assisted development, the core skill is the same — knowing when to trust AI output and when to override it. Karpathy said it best: “I am building a website for my kids. I do not know if I am even supposed to know HTML anymore.” He does not need to know HTML. But he does need to know what a good website looks like. That judgment is the skill that matters.
Leave a Reply