All Vibe Coding Tools Are Selling a Get Rich Quick Scheme Published: September 9, 2025 Varun Raghu shares his critical perspective on the rising hype around AI-powered "vibe coding" tools — platforms that claim to enable anyone to build world-class software products through simple prompting and minimal effort. --- Key Points Terminology Issue: The author dislikes the term "vibe coding" because it understates the complexity involved in software development. It is not a casual or effortless process. The Illusion of Easy Success: Many current tools promise the ability to create a $1 billion startup or highly successful software products through effortless AI prompts. Varun views this as a scam that misleads people. Experience and Disillusionment: After trying numerous platforms for months, spending hundreds of dollars, and generating countless prompts, he concludes that these tools only give the illusion of coding capabilities. Real Skill Still Matters: The only successful use he finds is employing AI tools like Cursor to accelerate cosmetic frontend design changes — a skill set he already possesses. This reinforces the idea that real skills can't be completely replaced by AI yet. Future Potential: While he remains tentative about the future improvements of AI coding tools, the current industry hype is misrepresenting the actual capabilities and is essentially a scam. --- Summary Varun Raghu warns readers against believing the marketing hype surrounding AI-powered coding tools that promise easy, high-value startups with minimal skill or effort. Real software development remains complex, and these tools currently serve mostly to give an illusion of ability rather than genuine capability. He suggests that while AI can augment experienced developers, it does not replace the need for skill and hard work today. The entire industry, as it stands, risks deceiving hopeful creators. --- Upvote count: 28 Powered by Bear ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ