3286: Vibeware and the Future of Software Development

May 22, 2025

Ryan Frankel, President and CTO of Digital Brands and creator of HostingAdvice.com, dives into the world of "vibeware"—AI-assisted development tools that empower anyone to build software. He discusses how these tools lower entry barriers for creators while emphasizing that human oversight is still crucial for debugging and architecture. Ryan reveals a shift in business strategies toward custom solutions, allowing smaller companies to craft tailored tools. He shares his inspirational journey from early programming to leading tech innovations, highlighting the ongoing importance of foundational knowledge in coding.

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ANECDOTE

Ryan Frankel's Early Coding Journey

Ryan Frankel started programming on an Apple 2c with BASIC language as a child, sparking his journey in software development.
His career evolved from military hardware engineering to passionate web development, enjoying faster software iteration.

INSIGHT

Understanding Vibeware's Evolution

Vibeware originally meant AI writing full-stack software from prompts without manual coding.
The term now includes AI-assisted coding helping developers but hasn't achieved full autonomous app creation.

INSIGHT

Vibeware Like Home Cooking Kits

Vibeware is like home cooking with meal kits: it empowers non-experts to create but professionals excel in quality and scale.
Developers excitedly embrace AI assistance, broadening creative coding possibilities beyond their traditional roles.

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What happens when software development meets AI assistance, and anyone with an idea suddenly has the power to build it?

In this episode, I sat down with Ryan Frankel, President and CTO of Digital Brands and the mind behind HostingAdvice.com, to explore the rise of “vibeware” and how AI is shifting the development landscape.

Ryan has a fascinating journey that began with BASIC programming on an Apple IIc and led through military-grade signal processing to leading a portfolio of digital properties. At the center of our conversation is Vibeware.

AI-assisted development tools that are starting to lower the barriers for would-be creators. But unlike the hype you often hear, Ryan doesn’t sugarcoat the limitations. While AI can generate impressive snippets of production-ready code, we’re nowhere near a future where it can build and maintain scalable applications on its own. Context, debugging, infrastructure, and data architecture still require human oversight, and developers who understand these elements are more valuable than ever.

Ryan also explained how these tools are beginning to change how companies approach building versus buying software. AI-assisted development is giving teams more confidence to build custom internal solutions rather than defaulting to SaaS platforms. That trend could open the door for smaller businesses to create the kinds of tailored tools that were once only realistic for large enterprises.

Perhaps the most insightful part of our chat was Ryan’s analogy comparing AI-assisted coding to home cooking. Just as meal kits allow anyone to prepare a decent dinner, vibeware makes it easier for non-experts to build software. But when quality, scale, and performance matter, people still turn to professionals. Developers fluent in both fundamentals and AI tools will be the ones setting the bar.

We also touch on the future of engineering roles, the evolving skillsets needed, and how this new era mirrors the web development explosion of the early 2000s.

So where is the balance between automation and expertise? What role will junior developers play in a world where AI writes 30 to 90 percent of the code? And is the developer job market on the verge of a dip or about to expand in new directions?