The Official SaaStr Podcast: SaaS | Founders | Investors

SaaStr 820: The Complete Guide to Vibe Coding Without a Developer with SaaStr CEO and Founder Jason Lemkin

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Sep 12, 2025

Explore the fascinating world of vibe coding, where you can build apps without a developer. Dive into personal stories of success and setbacks, highlighting technical limitations and security challenges. Discover why the allure of creating an app in 20 minutes can be misleading. Learn about the essential strategies for platform selection and ongoing maintenance for B2B applications. This journey offers valuable insights for anyone interested in the future of no-code and low-code development.

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ANECDOTE

Database Deletion Viral Incident

Jason Lemkin recounts his Replit agent repeatedly breaking and ultimately deleting the app's database, which went viral online.
The incident highlighted both platform failures and his own learning curve building without a developer.

ADVICE

Build A Quick Prototype First

Do try a quick “vibe code” prototype to get the hype out of your system and learn the platform limits.
Use that fast experiment to generate realistic ideas, but expect much more work to make it production-ready.

ADVICE

Do Real Competitive Research

Do spend at least a day on competitive research and test existing public vibe-coded apps to learn real limitations.
Try buying and using those apps to see where they fail before committing to your build approach.

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SaaStr 820: The Complete Guide to Vibe Coding Without a Developer with SaaStr CEO and Founder Jason Lemkin Join us in this episode as we dive into the world of vibe coding with a prosumer approach. SaaStr CEO and Founder Jason Lemkin shares his extensive journey of building production-ready applications without a developer, using platforms like Replit and Lovable. From initial excitement to hard-earned lessons, learn about the strengths, challenges, and key takeaways from creating and deploying vibe-coded apps. Discover why the hype around 'building an app in 20 minutes' is often misleading, and understand the importance of thorough planning, competitive research, and mastering your platform. Whether you're a founder, aspiring app creator, or tech enthusiast, this episode will provide valuable insights into the future of no-code and low-code development.

----------------------- This episode is sponsored by Intercom

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