January 9, 2026
Ship the vibes, ditch the lint?
Developers Are Solving the Wrong Problem
Vibe coding vs clean code: speed freaks clash with code purists
TLDR: Casey argues AI-powered “vibe coding” should focus on solving problems fast, not perfect code. The comments exploded: purists say clean code proves competence and trust, speed fans say ship it; some predict dev-less companies, others think serious firms will hire more devs. It matters because software choices affect reliability and cost.
Keith Casey’s post on Caseysoftware says it’s not about code—it’s about the problem, pitching “vibe coding,” where artificial intelligence (AI) turns plain-English needs into working software fast. That lit the comments on fire. One crowd cheered the idea of skipping fussy rules because computers will maintain it anyway. The other crowd snapped back that clean isn’t about pretty code—it’s about trust, efficiency, and not stuffing your systems with mystery meat.
The most intense pushback: a commenter insisted clean software shows good faith and deep understanding, not just readability. Another shrugged: “beautiful” code mostly lives in open source, so chill. Shots were fired over the idea of “developer-less companies”—one skeptic predicted the opposite, saying real businesses will hire devs when the stakes get serious. Meanwhile, a dreamer painted a future with no C, no compilers, just machines talking to machines, sparking memes about “LLMs” (large language models) becoming robot PMs and “vibes > variables.”
Then came the reality check: most devs don’t even talk to customers—they just code. So, who owns the problem, and who owns the vibes? The thread devolved into jokes about “AI interns,” ship now, refactor never, and whether speed today means tech debt forever. Drama level: spicy.
Key Points
- •The article argues that traditional practices (clean, well-structured, modular, concise code) primarily exist to make code easier for humans to read and maintain.
- •If code is largely debugged and maintained by computers, the emphasis on human-readable code may be less critical.
- •Customers care most about whether software solves their problems, not the cleanliness of the underlying code.
- •Vibe coding enables users to describe problems and get rapid, workable solutions, facilitating faster iteration and learning.
- •To improve vibe coding results, select appropriate generative AI models and provide contextual code that reflects organizational standards.