Because of this tweet https://twitter.com/karpathy/status/1886192184808149383

The real vibe coding is when you hear the core memory vibrating

You just go along with whatever the AI throws at you. Like vibing with your bro.

Quite different from AI-Assist coding.

I suppose the idea that it is based more on feeling of what needs to be done than intellectual construction of the code. That is a drastic simplification because even with the 'vibe code' you still need to have some form of overview.

It does lean into the idea that vibe code is 'Increased productivity, reduced understanding.'

Yeah, it's really a stupid name that has stuck because of who tweeted it. I really respect Karpathy, but in this particular case he did a disservice.

Vibe coding means only looking at the behavior ("vibes") of artifacts, you're never even supposed to see the code.

In other words you're purely playing the PM role rather than the SWE role.

It's because programing thus is akin to Asimov's tech-men, vibing with the fabric of the universe through their religious incantations.

So that we can reliably classify between real engineers and techbros

Microsoft had Wizards in MS-Access and Visual BASIC that generated code. You just fill out some forms and it generates the code for you. This was before AI. It wasn't called Vibe Coding, it was just using Wizards.

the real vibe codes were the list comprehensions we made along the way