AI is helping CEOs of tech firms in a major way with its fine ability to code. As vibe coding rose to become the most hyped thing in 2025, a lot of senior management in tech firms can now interact more creatively with their engineering teams. Replit CEO Amjad Masad has stated that AI is revolutionising software development by enabling non-technical executives, including CEOs, to independently build prototype ideas through a process he calls vibe coding — using natural language prompts to instruct AI tools to generate working code.
In a recent interview highlighted by Business Insider, Masad explained that vibe coding is freeing leaders from dependency on engineering teams. “We have CEOs that finally feel unleashed. They don’t have to go beg someone to do it. They can, like, just vibe code and bring it into a meeting,” he said, describing executives arriving at meetings with functional prototypes and proudly announcing, “Look what I built.”
The rise of Vibe Coding among non-technical builders
Masad highlighted that many leaders have long felt “disempowered” after delegating technical work, resulting in limited input on product development processes. With tools like Replit Agent and competitors such as Cursor, executives can now quickly create rough prototypes, challenging traditional timelines. A prototype built in days prompts the question, “Why should this take weeks to build if a version can be done in a few days?”
Vibe coding, a term popularised by figures like Andrej Karpathy, shifts focus from syntax-heavy programming to creative ideation and problem breakdown. Masad noted that much of traditional coding involves “minutiae” and “accidental complexity,” which AI can handle, allowing users to operate in a purely creative space.
He highlighted that product managers are often “some of the best vibe coders” due to their training in breaking problems into clear steps and communicating precisely. Some of the high-profile examples include Google CEO Sundar Pichai using vibe coding tools to build a custom webpage that aggregates location-based information, describing the experience as “delightful” to be a coder in the current moment. Similarly, Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski has used Cursor to prototype and test ideas — both good and bad — without interrupting engineers, then presenting results with, “Look, I’ve actually made this work.”
Replit’s Agent tool plays a crucial role in this shift, allowing users to describe app or website ideas in natural language, after which the AI autonomously plans, codes, refines, and deploys production-ready applications.
The future of software development with AI
Masad envisions a future where coding becomes unnecessary for most users. “We want to get to a point where you don’t have to code at all. You should be in a creative space,” he said. This approach accelerates idea validation, reduces barriers for non-engineers, and democratises software creation across roles like sales, HR, and operations.
While the trend empowers executives and speeds up prototyping, discussions in tech communities note that vibe coding excels for quick proofs-of-concept and internal tools, with production-grade applications still benefiting from professional engineering oversight.
