We have all seen the rage bait, click bait, whatever bait, of the same headlines and posts about traditional developed apps and programs being dead.
Vibe this, vibe that, vibe the other.
I even post about vibe coding. I'm diving deep (haha, the reverse AI phrase, aren't I hip) into Power BI MCP and agentic agents, trying to understand if they are safe and helpful, because that's my area of expertise. I'm not letting a bot loose on a customer's data the same way I wouldn't with a new starter until I can trust their judgement.
I was in a pre-sales call with a customer the other day. They were looking for an auditing report on some historical data for an old database they no longer use.
Simple enough.
But the first 10 minutes were spent talking about AI, vibe coding, and Claude.
I've had the feeling for a long time that vibe coding isn't replacing enterprise-grade products, despite all the hype.
Where's the Evidence?
Despite how rigid and long the release cycles are, enterprise-grade products have been tested by thousands, if not millions, of end users. They have been around for years and have extensive documentation (alright, maybe "extensive" is a generous word for some of them).
They are tried and tested.
For those of you heading to the cinema to see Project Hail Mary, there is a key part of the story where they decide to use lab equipment that already exists instead of inventing new ones.
Why?
Because it is tested and it works. It's as simple as that.
So if you work for a medium to enterprise-sized business, big SaaS platforms are what you will be using.
Where AI and Vibe Coding Actually Win
Now, small and new businesses, this is where AI and vibe-coded apps are going to give the most value.
Case in point, I'm running the East of England Power Platform Summit.
I got quotes from £3.5k to £8.5k to provide a ticketing and registration system for the event.
I don't have that money.
So Jon Russell vibe coded a white-paper version of an app, then I took it and built on it to fit my needs.
£150 in licenses across various tools and AI, and we have a functioning product.
This works because we are small, we are new, and we need something we can mould quickly and get going.
Will it scale? Maybe.
Does it need to right now? No.
The Real Risk Is Timing
For most businesses, licensing and investing in tech too early can be catastrophic later on, but over and under investing happens so often.
AI will fill this gap.
I'll leave you with this:
Vibe coding is giving access to the most creative, yet technically limited people, the opportunity to bring their imagination to reality.