Ambience Programming 101: The No-Code Tech Stack for Modern Founders
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Editor's note: When writing code becomes as simple as "talking", the threshold for technology founders is being completely flattened by AI. Is this a real trend or just a bubble? This article is a compilation.
From Code to Conversation: A New Development Philosophy
The founder opens Claude and types in: "Create a waitlist application for me. It should be able to collect email addresses, and also set up a backend service to view registered users."
Ten minutes later, the application is live on Vercel. No engineers were hired, and no work orders were issued. It's all about the vibe.
This is what is known as "Vibe Coding".
"Vibe Coding" was invented by Andrej Karpathy. It's a brand - new way of software development. In this approach, the role of developers has shifted from writing syntax to expressing intentions through prompts.
This isn't programming in the traditional sense. Instead, it's a back - and - forth conversation with an AI tool that already knows how to code.
You simply describe what you want, and the AI will generate the code. Then you test it and optimize it. This cycle is short, fault - tolerant, and it completely reshapes how technical work is done.
When Andrej Karpathy redefined programming as an AI - driven flow state, the term "Vibe Coding" quickly gained popularity.
The difference between Vibe Coding and traditional no - code tools is that you're no longer restricted by rigid interfaces or workflows. You're dealing with real code, but you're not writing it line by line. Instead, you're collaborating with tools like Cursor, Claude, and GPT - 4o to generate, modify, and expand software using natural language.
This experience is more like pair - programming with a genius intern than clicking around in a drag - and - drop editor.
Suddenly, the basic concept of entrepreneurship has been completely changed. You no longer need to be an engineer to develop a product. Domain experts, independent founders, and even non - technical operators can quickly develop full - stack products just by describing their requirements.
The barriers between ideas and execution are disappearing.
The tools have finally caught up with the times. And the concept of "I don't write code, I just have conversations" is spreading rapidly.
Table of Contents
Modern No - Code (Vibe Coding) Technology Stack
The Meaning of "Technical Ability" Has Changed
New Workflow, New Mindset
Advantages and Limitations of Vibe Coding
The Emergence of New Roles
Vibe Coding Is an Entrance to Real Code
Develop with Vision, Not Just Tools
1. Modern No - Code (Vibe Coding) Technology Stack
If Vibe Coding is a conversation, then the tools are your translators.
Today's founders use a modular technology stack composed of AI - native, no - code, and low - code platforms, which enables them to quickly develop products with amazingly complete functions. These tools themselves aren't new, but the change is that, driven by AI, their interaction has become incredibly smooth.
Here is the practical technology stack used by most founders in 2025, and an introduction to how each tool fits into the vibe workflow:
Collaborative Workflow
Here is a demonstration of an actual operation process:
Design in Figma or Builder.io, usually taking AI suggestions.
Define the backend structure through Supabase or Firebase.
Connector tools like Zapier handle the logical flow.
AI prompts guide the entire technology stack, connecting the frontend and backend.
Push to the production environment through Vercel/Replit, and the configuration is usually automatically completed by AI.
Since these tools are standardized and well - known to AI models, the models can integrate them smoothly. You don't need to remember APIs or look up documentation. Just describe the result you want, and the AI will fill in the blanks.
A CNBC reporter participated in a two - day "Vibe Coding" bootcamp. By the end, without any programming background, she had built a functional product. She attributed it all to user - friendly tools like Cursor and Google Gemini, as well as the prompt - driven workflow. This is the speed that this technology stack can achieve.
You start with an idea and some prompts, and you can quickly launch a viable solution.
A visual chart showing the workflow of prompt - driven software development using large language models (LLMs).
Prompt - driven development replaces rigid planning with an iterative cycle between the founder and AI. (Source: Andrew Miller)
Garry Tan, the CEO of Y Combinator, recently shared that elite startup teams adopting the "full - vibe coding" model can complete in one day what used to take 50 to 100 engineers. He pointed out that about 25% of startups in YC's 2025 winter batch had over 95% of their code written by AI models, which greatly reduced the need for large engineering teams in their journey towards product - market fit.
Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google, also tried Vibe Coding in person, using tools like Cursor and Replit. He described the experience as "pleasurable" and emphasized that non - traditional coders such as designers, product managers, and even product owners can now publish real applications just by having conversations with AI.
2. The Meaning of "Technical Ability" Has Changed
Not long ago, being a "technical founder" meant being able to write code yourself. Your resume was crucial, requiring a computer science degree, a GitHub portfolio, full - stack development skills, and credible work experience.
But now it's different.
In the post - Vibe Coding era, the definition of "technical ability" is evolving rapidly. Now, in the eyes of investors, the standard for measuring whether a founder is "technically proficient" is no longer the ability to read and write code, but systematic thinking, AI proficiency, and strategic clarity.
Can you break down a product idea into different components?
Can you guide AI development through clear and structured prompts?
Can you decide what to develop, when to develop, and why to develop?
If the answers are yes, your technical ability is sufficient to launch a product.
Founders are proving this every day. With tools like Cursor and GPT - 4o, independent operators can launch products in a few days without hiring developers, without sprint cycles, and without writing product requirement documents.
They develop through conversation, iteration, and assembly. The AI builds the framework, while the founder holds the vision.
The 2025 Vibe Coding technology stack includes Cursor, Replit, Tabnine, and other AI - first developer tools. (Source: Dezdok)
Investors have also noticed this.
It's reported that venture capital firms like Oxx and Touring Capital are now publicly funding founders who have in - depth domain knowledge and can deliver products using modern tools, even if they don't write the original code themselves. What matters is the product sense, execution speed, and architectural clarity.
This has changed everything.
Ten years ago, building a minimum viable product (MVP) meant having a team and consuming a corresponding amount of capital. Now, a founder proficient in AI can acquire early users at a very low cost. Less engineering overhead means less capital is required, enabling smaller - scale financing, faster iteration, and greater control.
The so - called "technical ability" doesn't lie in typing on the keyboard, but in focusing on the product. And founders who understand this are moving forward at an unprecedented speed.
3. New Workflow, New Mindset
Vibe Coding not only changes "who can do development", but also "how to do development".
The traditional product workflow is usually like this:
Write specification documents → Assign work orders → Code → Review → Deploy.
Users have to wait for weeks to see the results. Adjusting the direction is slow and costly.
Now, the process is more like:
Start with prompts → Get a working draft → Optimize → Deploy.
You describe what you want, and the AI develops it. You complete testing, iteration, and deployment in the same session.
This new process is fast, flexible, and feedback - driven.
Analysis of Vibe Coding: Describe what you want, let AI write the code, then test, adjust, and publish. (Source: Tech Gig)
Want to test two different user onboarding flows? Just use prompts to generate two solutions, quickly build them, and launch an A/B test within a few hours.
Not sure which layout works best? Let Claude try three options. After deployment, get real - user signals and use data instead of subjective opinions to drive decisions.
This unlocks a brand - new way of product thinking: less specification definition, more improvisation; less rigid planning, more exploratory development.
You're no longer bound by blueprints, but sketching in real - time with a collaborator who never sleeps.
The feeling when your AI - developed MVP is finally deployed successfully without a single syntax error.
It also shortens the distance between an idea and user feedback. The faster you launch, the earlier you learn. And the earlier you learn, the better the product will become.
In the past, founders iterated on a quarterly basis. Now, they can complete iterations over a weekend.
4. Advantages and Limitations of Vibe Coding
Vibe Coding is a powerful enabling technology, but it's not a one - size - fits - all "silver bullet".
Yes, AI can generate real code. Yes, you can launch products quickly. However, knowing where to use Vibe Coding is as important as knowing how to use it.
Advantages of Vibe Coding
Quick development of MVP: If you need to validate a product idea over a weekend, Vibe Coding can help you achieve that. You can quickly build a prototype, connect the backend, and even complete deployment through prompts.
Internal tools: Vibe Coding is very suitable for building dashboards, management backends, and reporting tools. AI understands these patterns and can easily deliver functional tools.
Personal projects and experiments: Want to develop a tool for your team or test a crazy idea? You don't need approval or a team. All you need is a large language model and a curious mind.
Creative interfaces: With the help of AI, it's easier to generate, adjust, and test custom user interfaces, user onboarding flows, and interesting experiments.
Founders without a technical background: For founders without an engineering background, Vibe Coding levels the playing field. You can go directly from an idea to a product without writing a single line of code yourself.
In these scenarios, speed and exploration are more important than long - term scalability. And this is where Vibe Coding shines.
Limitations of Vibe Coding
Security systems: Applications dealing with sensitive data such as finance, health, and payments require strict control over authentication, encryption, and compliance. AI still has difficulties in stably applying these best practices.
Complex architectures: Large - scale systems with multiple integrations, microservices, and deep logical trees require purposeful structural design. AI can usually generate runnable code, but the designed architecture may not be scalable.
Unknown edge cases: The code generated by AI often only works under the "ideal path". It performs well in the core process, but will ignore edge conditions unless given clear prompts.
Production - level quality: You'll get something that works, but performance tuning, observability, and test coverage usually still require manual intervention.
Long - term maintainability: If you're developing a product that will be iterated for many years, you don't want to rely on opaque, automatically generated code. This kind of code can be difficult to understand, debug, and harder for new developers to get started with.
In other words, Vibe Coding is an accelerator from 0 to 1. It can turn your ideas into reality, help you test, learn, and prove the value of your ideas.
But in the stage from 1 to 10, that is, the process of scaling, strengthening, and optimizing, experienced developers still play a crucial role.
Use "vibe" to break through, and then use "rigor" to expand.
5. The Emergence of New Roles
When people no longer need to type semicolons, some interesting things happen.
Vibe Coding doesn't replace developers. Instead, it changes who can participate in development and how teams allocate creative work. Roles that didn't exist two years ago are now crucial for the early momentum of startups.