Everyone can build an app now, and yet another app you don't need.
Everyone can ship 10x faster and yet build 10x more wrong things.
Everyone can be a developer in 2026, and yet nobody will become an engineer.
That's the reality. YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn blares about Vibe coding. This is what everyone is so excited about. You have an idea and want to build an app right away. But is it really the future? Aren't we in the AI bubble? Does it mean we don't need developers anymore?
Let me share my perspective on this topic.
Year 2025 was a year of rapid evolution and set exciting promises for 2026. We've seen a historical change in our industry, and that's only the beginning.
Vibe coding - the #1 hot topic
By far, the most discussed narrative: "Anyone can build software now". You've heard or even tested tools like Claude Code, Cursor, Lovable, Bolt, Replit. Those are the tools that make it possible for you to create anything you can imagine. Well, almost anything. Even a 10-year-old can build a product now. Sure. Although it's very exciting and gives us an extra dose of dopamine, you can't get rid of developers. Sorry. Vibe coding is the same thing as gambling if you can't get it right. The AI is just an amplifier, not a solution to your problems.
According to studies, 1.7x more bugs compared to human-written code without proper architectural review, and 45% of AI-generated code snippets contain at least one known security flaw that puts user data at risk. Do you still want to bet on software delivered by a machine that nobody audited or tested?
The "Creation Gap" is closed
Two gaps existed: CREATION GAP "I have ideas but can't build them" — AI closed this in 2026. VISION GAP "I can build but don't know what to build" — still open.
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This framing resonates widely. The developer's skills are now at your fingertips, and the sky is the limit. So what? Even in hours, you can vibe-code an app, but do you really need an app? Or maybe you're just pursuing dreams that don't resonate with reality or solve any real problem. There are already more than enough vibe-coded apps that do nothing.
According to the studies,85% of AI projects fail to reach production because they lack the "last mile" of architectural integration. You have an app, but how would you like to integrate it with the rest of your stack? That's a challenge. Yes, you can build astonishing apps, but if they don't deliver any value, do you need them?
10x speed / Solo founder era
That's my favorite. We can see the trend, but we're in the stage of early adopters, or we are guinea pigs in this experiment, if you like, and it's hard to draw any conclusions so far. Building things without a team is a recurring theme.
On YouTube you can find a lot of parodies of this transformational trend. Some of them can sound like:
- "AI helps you do what others can't: create faster, learn quicker, and build without a team"
- "I built an entire app with 8 AI agent employees"
- "How I use AI to build a $10,000 app (no coding)"
No coding, right. Maybe they don't code, but AI does. Do we bother to review the generated code? If you can create an entire app within hours, would you invest in the same number of hours of testing and verifying, or would you just push a publish button? Would you rely on it for your entire business? I don't think so. You're a responsible and aware founder.
You've heard it: you don't need a team. Sure, that's tempting for founders. But hear me out; you need them, and it shouldn't be a surprise. Think your team doesn't deliver 10x? That's on you. As founders, we need to support them in this transitional phase and provide tools that will help them to be more efficient and productive, where productivity doesn't necessarily mean producing more. They need to acquire skills that will last in the AI era.
Where this is heading
Undoubtedly, we live in interesting times, and it's up to us how we'll use those opportunities. In my opinion, the way we work today is outdated. We need to adapt. We need to think, and thinking is what differentiates us from machines. Here's what I believe will happen:
1. Engineers will replace developers. We'll still see many apps pop up like mushrooms after rain, but none of them will be production-ready unless engineers take care of them. The engineers, not developers. Engineers don't just write code. They design systems, anticipate failure, and make trade-offs that keep your product alive in production. Those who "just" write code will lose their jobs if they don't adapt and start working with AI. Anthropic covers this in their AI Fluency course — how to work and communicate with AI. It's worth understanding, even as a founder, how your team should work with AI.
2. Founders who invest in their teams will win. You'll need people at the management level who understand the technology and know what to build. Not just tool operators — people with soft skills, business insights, and a genuine interest in solving real problems. This is the biggest opportunity in IT. But they need to be good, and it's on you to support them through this transition.
3. Human-in-the-loop stays essential. AI can generate, but it can't judge. Anthropic's 4D framework calls this Discernment, the ability to critically evaluate what AI produces. You need to know when the output is good enough and when it's confidently wrong. That judgment is yours, not the machines. And judgment doesn't happen in a vacuum. You'll need people around you to challenge your thinking, whether that's a team at work or peers in your network. That's a human thing.
Everyone can build an app now. The question is: can you build the right one?
