Vibing (vibe coding & vibe marketing) with AI in 2025

I was scrolling Twitter at 2 AM when I saw something that made me sit up in bed.

A 22-year-old had just built an entire startup. During a ski trip. In 6 hours. And Y Combinator funded it.

Caption: Chloe Samaha and her co-founder built BOND in 6 hours and got into YC

This wasn’t some coding prodigy. She couldn’t write a single line of code six months ago. But there she was, CEO of BOND, an AI Chief of Staff that saves executives 10+ hours per week.

Her secret? Something called “vibe coding.”

And it’s changing everything.

I’m going to sound like an old man yelling at clouds here, but I’m starting to think the way to win at programming is to fully give in to the vibes. Just totally embrace exponentials. Forget that the code even exists.

— Andrej Karpathy (@karpathy) February 19, 2025

When Andrej Karpathy, co-founder of OpenAI, coined this term, he probably didn’t expect it to spawn a movement. But here we are, watching non-technical founders build million-dollar products by chatting with AI like they’re texting a friend.

The numbers are insane. 25% of Y Combinator’s Winter 2025 startups have codebases that are 95% AI-generated. Cursor, the leading vibe coding platform, scaled from $1M to $200M in annual revenue in 12 months. With zero marketing spend.

If you’ve ever felt locked out of the tech world because you can’t code, this is your moment.

What Is Vibe Coding? (And Why It’s Taking Over)

Vibe coding is building software through natural conversation with AI instead of writing code. You describe what you want in plain English, and AI writes the code for you.

Simple as that.

But here’s what makes it revolutionary: you don’t need to understand the code at all. You just need to understand what you want to build.

Tech With Tim shows complete beginners how to build functional apps in under an hour. No programming experience required. Just vibes.

The traditional path to building software looked like this:

1. Spend months learning to code
2. Struggle through tutorials and documentation
3. Debug for hours when things break
4. Maybe launch something after 6-12 months

The vibe coding path:

1. Open Cursor or Replit
2. Describe your app in plain English
3. AI generates the code
4. Deploy in hours, not months

Simon Willison, respected programmer and analyst, puts it perfectly: “Not all AI-assisted programming is vibe coding, but vibe coding rocks.” He distinguishes between using AI as a tool versus completely surrendering to the AI’s capabilities.

And that surrender? It’s producing real businesses with real revenue.

The Money Is Real - Case Studies That Will Blow Your Mind

Let me hit you with some numbers that made me question everything I thought I knew about building startups.

Cursor hit $200M+ in annual recurring revenue. They have fewer than 60 employees. Their marketing budget? Zero. The entire growth came from developers telling other developers, “You have to try this.”

But it’s not just the big players making waves.

Billy Howell documented how he earns $750 per day building custom apps for Upwork clients. He uses Replit and ChatGPT to create solutions that would traditionally cost $10,000+ and take weeks to develop.

He delivers them in 2-3 days.

Just closed another $2,250 project. Client needed a custom inventory system. Took me 3 days with Replit Agent. They think I’m a coding genius. I’m just good at describing what I want to AI.

— Billy Howell (@billyhowell_dev) May 28, 2025

Then there’s BOND, the story that started this article. Two non-technical founders built an AI Chief of Staff during a ski trip. Six hours of vibe coding later, they had a working prototype. Y Combinator loved it so much they invested $500,000.

The app now manages calendars, prepares meeting briefs, and handles follow-ups for hundreds of executives. It saves each user 10+ hours per week. The founders? They still can’t write code from scratch.

They don’t need to.

Even established companies are catching on. NPR reported that traditional software companies are losing talent to vibe coding startups where engineers can build 5-10x faster.

The revolution isn’t coming. It’s here.

Your Vibe Coding Starter Pack - Tools That Actually Work

Alright, you’re convinced. Now what?

I’ve tested dozens of AI coding tools (so you don’t have to). Here’s your essential starter pack:

Coding Tools

Cursor - $20/month The Ferrari of vibe coding. Voice commands, intelligent code completion, and it understands context like no other tool. Used by OpenAI, Shopify, and Midjourney teams.

Replit Agent - Free tier available Perfect for beginners. Build and deploy directly in your browser. No setup required. Just describe your app and watch it come to life.

v0 by Vercel - $20/month Specifically for UI components. Describe any interface and get production-ready React code in seconds.

Marketing Tools

Because your product won’t sell itself (trust me, I learned this the hard way).

Digital First AI - $39/month Visual workflow builder with 26+ marketing frameworks. Greg Isenberg swears by this for replacing entire marketing teams.

Writesonic - $19/month AI agent that handles SEO optimization, content generation, and even responds to comments. Like having a content team in your pocket.

Make.com - Free tier available Connect all your tools without code. Automate everything from social media posting to customer onboarding.

Your AI Dream Team

Claude - Free/Pro at $20/month Your strategic advisor. Best for complex reasoning and planning. I use Claude to architect entire business strategies.

ChatGPT - Free/Plus at $20/month The versatile workhorse. Great for content, code, and creative tasks.

Perplexity - Free/Pro at $20/month Your research assistant. Finds information and cites sources like a PhD student.

Matt Wolfe breaks down each tool in detail. His Future Tools directory tracks 1000+ AI tools for business.

How to Start Vibe Coding (Even If You Failed Computer Science)

I failed Computer Science. Twice.

Now I build apps faster than my developer friends. Here’s exactly how to start:

Step 1: Choose Your First Project

Start stupid simple. Here are battle-tested first projects:

• Personal expense tracker
• Daily journal app
• Simple landing page for a business idea
• Chrome extension that solves one tiny problem

The key? Pick something you’ll actually use. Motivation matters more than complexity.

Step 2: Set Up Your AI Coding Environment

1. Create a free Replit account
2. Install Claude or ChatGPT
3. Open a new Repl (project)
4. Start chatting

That’s literally it. No terminal commands. No environment variables. No dependency hell.

Step 3: Write Your First “Vibe Prompt”

Here’s a real prompt I used last week:

I need a simple app that tracks my coffee consumption. It should:
- Let me click a button each time I have coffee
- Show me how many cups I've had today
- Reset at midnight
- Look clean and modern with a coffee theme
- Work on mobile

Make it fun with animations when I add a coffee!

Replit Agent built this in 3 minutes. With animations. And a coffee bean that dances.

Step 4: Deploy and Iterate

The magic of vibe coding? Iteration is just another conversation.

“Make the coffee cup bigger” “Add a weekly view” “Can you make it send me a notification if I drink too much?”

Each request takes seconds, not hours.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Starting too complex: Your first app shouldn’t be “Uber for dogs.” Start with a to-do list.

Ignoring security basics: Always ask AI to add authentication to user data. Say: “Make sure users can only see their own data.”

Not testing with real users: Your mom doesn’t count. Find someone who’ll give honest feedback.

Trying to understand all the code: That’s not vibe coding. That’s traditional coding with extra steps.

The best vibe coders aren’t trying to learn programming. They’re trying to solve problems. The code is just a byproduct.

— Simon Willison (@simonw) March 19, 2025

Vibe Marketing - Because Your Product Won’t Sell Itself

Here’s a truth bomb: Building is the easy part now. Getting customers? That’s where most founders fail.

Enter vibe marketing.

Greg Isenberg, former advisor to TikTok and Reddit, pioneered this approach. He replaced a 10-person marketing team with AI agents and smart automation.

The results? 70-80% cost reduction. 5x more content output. 10x faster testing.

Everyone’s worried about AI taking jobs. Meanwhile, I’m using AI to do the job of 10 marketers and crushing competitors who still do things the old way.

— Greg Isenberg (@gregisenberg) April 3, 2025

The Vibe Marketing Stack

Here’s exactly what Greg and other successful founders use:

Content Creation Pipeline

• Claude writes strategy
• ChatGPT creates variations
• Writesonic optimizes for SEO
• Midjourney generates visuals
• ElevenLabs adds voiceovers

Distribution Automation

• Digital First AI plans campaigns
• Make.com connects everything
• Buffer schedules posts
• Phantom Buster automates outreach

Real Campaign Example

Alex Cooper went viral showing how she created an entire ad campaign for “Birthday Cake” popcorn using only AI:

1. Asked Claude for campaign strategy
2. Generated 20 ad variations with ChatGPT
3. Created visuals with Midjourney
4. Added voiceover with ElevenLabs
5. A/B tested everything automatically

Time spent: 2 hours. Cost: $50. Results: 300% better CTR than their agency-created ads.

Just replaced our $10k/month agency with AI tools. Same results, 95% less cost. The future of marketing isn’t hiring more people. It’s hiring the right AI.

— Alex Cooper (@alexcooper_) May 15, 2025

Your 7-Day Vibe Marketing Setup

Day 1-2: Brand Voice Development Create a “vibe guide” for your AI. I use this template:

Brand personality: [Friendly expert who's been there]
Tone: [Conversational, confident but humble]
Never say: [Jargon, corporate speak, "utilize"]
Always include: [Personal stories, specific examples]
Target audience: [Non-technical founders aged 25-40]

Day 3-4: Content Engine Creation Set up your AI workflow:

• Morning: Claude generates weekly content strategy
• Afternoon: ChatGPT creates daily posts
• Evening: Writesonic optimizes and schedules

Day 5-6: Automation Setup Connect everything with Make.com:

• Social media posting
• Email sequences
• Comment responses
• Performance tracking

Day 7: Launch and Iterate Start posting. Watch metrics. Ask AI to improve what’s not working.

The beauty? You can run this entire system in 1-2 hours per day.

The Dark Side - What Could Go Wrong (And How to Avoid It)

Let’s get real for a minute.

Vibe coding isn’t all sunshine and million-dollar exits. There are legitimate risks that every founder needs to understand.

Security: The Elephant in the Room

Studies show 41% of AI-generated code contains security vulnerabilities. That’s… not great.

Common issues include:

• Missing authentication checks
• Hardcoded passwords (yes, really)
• SQL injection vulnerabilities
• Exposed API keys

Simon Willison warns: “Vibe coding your way to a production codebase is clearly risky. You need guardrails.”

How to Protect Yourself

Always include security in your prompts:

"Make sure this app is secure. Add proper authentication, 
validate all inputs, and never expose sensitive data."

Use security scanning tools:

• Snyk - Free tier available
• GitHub Security - Built into GitHub
• OWASP ZAP - Open source scanner

Never vibe code:

• Payment processing
• Healthcare data
• Government contracts
• Anything handling kids’ data

Technical Debt: The Hidden Cost

Your AI-generated app works great… until it doesn’t.

I learned this the hard way when my “simple” app grew to 50,000 lines of AI-generated code. Debugging became a nightmare. Every change broke three other things.

The solution? Start fresh every 10,000 lines. Seriously. It’s faster to rebuild with better prompts than to fix AI spaghetti code.

The Marketing Authenticity Problem

Robert Rose from Content Marketing Institute doesn’t pull punches:

Vibe marketing is strategically hollow. It’s prioritizing vibes over value and aesthetics over impact. Brands lose their soul when everything is AI-generated.

— Robert Rose, Content Marketing Institute

He has a point. I’ve seen brands become generic AI soup. Every post sounds the same. Every campaign feels hollow.

The fix? Always inject human stories. AI can’t replicate your personal experience. Use it for scale, not for soul.

Your 30-Day Vibe Transformation Plan

Ready to dive in? Here’s your day-by-day roadmap to launching your first AI-built product.

Week 1: Foundation (Days 1-7)

Days 1-3: Tool Setup and Tutorials

• Sign up for Replit (free)
• Watch Tech With Tim’s beginner series
• Build your first “Hello World” with AI

Days 4-7: First Prototype

• Choose your simple project
• Build version 1 with Replit Agent
• Share with 5 friends for feedback

Week 2: Building (Days 8-14)

Days 8-10: Core Features

• Add 3 main features users requested
• Implement basic authentication
• Make it mobile-friendly

Days 11-14: Polish and Testing

• Fix bugs with AI assistance
• Add animations and nice touches
• Test with 10 real users

Week 3: Marketing Prep (Days 15-21)

Days 15-17: Brand Development

• Create your vibe guide
• Set up Digital First AI
• Generate first content batch

Days 18-21: Automation Setup

• Connect tools with Make.com
• Create landing page with v0
• Set up email capture

Week 4: Launch (Days 22-30)

Days 22-24: Soft Launch

• Share in relevant communities
• Post on your social media
• Gather initial feedback

Days 25-27: Iterate Based on Feedback

• Fix critical issues
• Add requested features
• Improve onboarding

Days 28-30: Scale

• Reach out to influencers
• Submit to directories
• Plan version 2

Tracking Your Progress

Each week, ask yourself:

• What did I build?
• What did users say?
• What would I do differently?

Keep a daily log. You’ll be amazed how fast you progress.

Your Questions Answered

Q: How much does vibe coding cost to start? A: Zero. Start with free tiers of ChatGPT and Replit. Upgrade to paid tools ($20-40/month) only when you’re making money.

Q: Can I really make money without coding experience? A: Yes. Billy Howell reports freelancers earning $500-1000/day after 30 days of practice. Start small, deliver value, scale up.

Q: What if AI makes a security mistake? A: Use scanning tools like Snyk and always follow GitHub’s security best practices. Never handle sensitive data in your first projects.

Q: Is this just a fad? A: Gartner predicts 60% of new code will be AI-generated by 2026. Y Combinator is betting millions on it. Decide for yourself.

Q: What about when AI fails? A: It will fail. Often. That’s why you start simple and have backup plans. Join communities like r/vibecoding for help.

The Future Is Already Here

We’re living through the biggest shift in software development since the internet.

Non-technical founders are building million-dollar products. Solopreneurs are competing with Fortune 500 companies. Kids are creating apps that would have required entire teams just two years ago.

The future belongs to those who can imagine and describe, not necessarily those who can code.

— Naval Ravikant (@naval) June 1, 2025

Naval’s right. The permission gates are gone. The technical barriers have crumbled. The only thing standing between you and your idea is… starting.

Your tools are ready:

• Cursor for serious building
• Replit for quick experiments
• Digital First AI for marketing
• Claude for strategy

The playbook is proven:

• Start simple
• Use AI for leverage
• Focus on solving real problems
• Iterate based on feedback

The opportunity is massive:

• Build products without coding
• Scale marketing without agencies
• Compete without venture capital
• Win by moving fast

I started this article talking about a 22-year-old who built a funded startup in 6 hours.

That could be you next week.

The only question is: What will you build first?