Vibe-coding is awesome. There’s no doubt left in my mind. There are plenty of naysayers, and I’m not going to argue with them, the very near future will prove it out. I’m not currently working in an enterprise environment, but even from where I sit I can see the patterns forming-—agentic software development is here, and it’s going to change everything about how software gets built and shipped.

The tension for me is simple: vibe-coding is exhilarating, but I’m still figuring out what I want to aim it at.

When I say vibe-coding is awesome, I’m saying it mostly from a hobbyist’s perspective. I’m working with Claude on a book idea that’s been rattling around in my head for years. Together we’re vibing a video game into existence. I launched a SaaS from start to finish. All of these things have been a lot of fun. And yet—it hasn’t saved me any time or made me any money.

Not yet, anyway. Maybe not ever? I can’t tell. But it has made me start to think of what the true value is.

I can’t tell if I’ve fallen into a trap of shiny new tools, or if I just haven’t pointed them in the right direction yet, or if I’m still too caught up in the excitement to see clearly. All three feel possible. (I first noticed this pattern in Vibing in Circles.)

Beyond Code

AI has crept into more than just my coding. I had a meaningful conversation with Claude—who my girlfriend insists on calling Clyde—about some recent lab results and what I should do about them. I’ve also used it to draft a difficult message I didn’t want to send and to sanity-check a decision I was overthinking. I ask it random questions throughout the day. It’s become a thinking partner, not just a coding assistant.

The Questions I’m Sitting With

I’m starting to ask myself some harder questions:

  • What do I actually want AI to change about my life?
  • What do I want it to enable?
  • And then—how do I use it to get there?

I don’t have answers yet. But I think the questions themselves matter. Because right now I’m using these tools a lot, and I’m having a blast, but I’m not sure I’m using them intentionally. There’s a difference between playing with powerful tools and wielding them toward something that matters.

I’ll figure it out, and I’ll have had fun trying. I don’t regret a minute of it, I just want it to move my life in a direction I’ll be proud of. Have you asked yourself similar questions about how you’re using AI, how you want to use it, and what you want it to change about your life?