Episode 46: Software Composition Is the New Vibe Coding

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Apr 3, 2025

Greg Ceccarelli, co-founder of SpecStory and ex-CPO at Pluralsight, dives into the groundbreaking concept of software composition, likening it to musical composition. He discusses how AI and LLMs facilitate vibe coding, making programming more intuitive and accessible. The conversation reveals the democratizing power of these tools, emphasizing intent over traditional coding and the collaborative potential they unleash. Greg also addresses the challenges of evolving technologies in data science and the importance of balancing creativity with robust practices in software development.

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INSIGHT

Software Composition's Rise

LLMs are shifting software development from deterministic programming to a flexible, prompt-driven style.
This changes how we express intent, reason about systems, and collaborate.

ANECDOTE

Greg's September Moment

Greg Ceccarelli had a "September moment" building with AI.
This involved realizing the power of focusing on higher-level abstractions and rapid feedback cycles.

ADVICE

Ephemeral vs. Reliable Software

Embrace AI-assisted programming for ephemeral end-user software.
Don't use it yet for software requiring high reliability used by millions.

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What if building software felt more like composing than coding?

In this episode, Hugo and Greg explore how LLMs are reshaping the way we think about software development—from deterministic programming to a more flexible, prompt-driven, and collaborative style of building. It’s not just hype or grift—it’s a real shift in how we express intent, reason about systems, and collaborate across roles.

Hugo speaks with Greg Ceccarelli—co-founder of SpecStory, former CPO at Pluralsight, and Director of Data Science at GitHub—about the rise of software composition and how it changes the way individuals and teams create with LLMs.

We dive into:

Why software composition is emerging as a serious alternative to traditional coding
The real difference between vibe coding and production-minded prototyping
How LLMs are expanding who gets to build software—and how
What changes when you focus on intent, not just code
What Greg is building with SpecStory to support collaborative, traceable AI-native workflows
The challenges (and joys) of debugging and exploring with agentic tools like Cursor and Claude

We’ve removed the visual demos from the audio—but you can catch our live-coded Chrome extension and JFK document explorer on YouTube. Links below.

🎓 Want to go deeper?
Check out my course: Building LLM Applications for Data Scientists and Software Engineers.
Learn how to design, test, and deploy production-grade LLM systems — with observability, feedback loops, and structure built in.
This isn’t about vibes or fragile agents. It’s about making LLMs reliable, testable, and actually useful.

Includes over $2,500 in compute credits and guest lectures from experts at DeepMind, Moderna, and more.
Cohort starts April 7 — Use this link for a 10% discount

🔍 Want to help shape the future of SpecStory?

Greg and the team are looking for design partners for their new SpecStory Teams product—built for collaborative, AI-native software development.

If you're working with LLMs in a team setting and want to influence the next wave of developer tools, you can apply here:

👉 specstory.com/teams