Who Coined Vibe Coding? The Andrej Karpathy Origin Story
The fascinating history of how one tweet from an AI pioneer changed software development forever and became Collins Dictionary Word of the Year 2025
Founder, Natively
Vibe coding has transformed from a casual tweet into a global phenomenon. But who coined vibe coding, and how did this term capture the imagination of millions of developers worldwide? The answer leads us to Andrej Karpathy, one of the most influential figures in artificial intelligence, whose single post on X sparked a revolution in how we think about writing code.
Key Takeaways
- Andrej Karpathy coined vibe coding — the term was introduced on February 2, 2025, in a viral post on X
- 4.5+ million views — the original tweet went viral, sparking global discussion about AI-assisted coding
- Collins Word of the Year 2025 — vibe coding was named the official Word of the Year by Collins Dictionary
- 44% developer adoption — nearly half of all developers now use AI coding tools daily
- $4.7 billion market — the vibe coding platform market is projected to reach $12.3 billion by 2027
Vibe Coding by the Numbers
Sources: Second Talent Statistics, Collins Dictionary
The Birth of a Movement
In the span of just twelve months, vibe coding went from being a casual observation in a social media post to becoming the Collins Dictionary Word of the Year 2025. This meteoric rise reflects a fundamental shift in how humans interact with computers and write software.
The story of vibe coding is ultimately the story of how large language models (LLMs) became sophisticated enough that programmers could describe what they wanted in plain English and watch functional code materialize before their eyes. It is a story about surrendering control, embracing uncertainty, and trusting AI to handle the details.
The Vibe Coding Timeline
From tweet to Word of the Year in under 12 months
Karpathy Coins the Term
Andrej Karpathy posts on X describing a new kind of coding where you fully give in to the vibes and forget that the code even exists.
Tweet Goes Viral
The post accumulates over 4.5 million views and sparks widespread discussion across the tech community.
Mainstream Media Coverage
Major publications including The New York Times, Ars Technica, and The Guardian cover the vibe coding phenomenon.
Merriam-Webster Recognition
Vibe coding is added to Merriam-Webster as a slang and trending term, marking its cultural significance.
Collins Word of the Year
Collins Dictionary names vibe coding the Word of the Year 2025, beating out terms like aura farming and taskmasking.
Who Coined the Term Vibe Coding?
Andrej Karpathy coined the term vibe coding on February 2, 2025. In his now-famous post on X (formerly Twitter), Karpathy introduced the concept that would soon captivate the tech world and beyond.
There is a new kind of coding I call ‘vibe coding’, where you fully give in to the vibes, embrace exponentials, and forget that the code even exists. It is possible because the LLMs (e.g. Cursor Composer w Sonnet) are getting too good.
The post quickly went viral, accumulating over 4.5 million views and sparking intense debate across the developer community. Within weeks, the term had spread from social media to mainstream publications including The New York Times, Ars Technica, and The Guardian.
The Original Definition: What Is Vibe Coding?
In his original post, Karpathy provided a detailed description of what vibe coding actually looks like in practice. His characterization painted a picture of a radically new approach to software development.
How Karpathy Described It
- →Talks to Composer with SuperWhisper so he barely touches the keyboard
- →Asks for simple things like “decrease the padding on the sidebar by half”
- →Clicks “Accept All” always — does not read the diffs anymore
- →Copy-pastes error messages with no comment — usually that fixes it
- →Code grows beyond his usual comprehension
The Philosophy Behind It
Karpathy's approach represents a fundamental shift in the programmer's role — from code author to creative director.
As he put it: “I am building a project or webapp, but it is not really coding — I just see stuff, say stuff, run stuff, and copy paste stuff, and it mostly works.”
Karpathy was careful to note the limitations, describing vibe coding as “not too bad for throwaway weekend projects”. He acknowledged that sometimes the LLMs cannot fix a bug, so he would “just work around it or ask for random changes until it goes away.”
Who Is Andrej Karpathy?
Understanding who invented vibe coding requires knowing the remarkable career of Andrej Karpathy. His credentials make him uniquely positioned to observe and articulate shifts in how AI changes software development.
Founding member working on deep learning, computer vision, and early GPT research
Led Autopilot computer vision team and self-driving car AI development
Led midtraining and synthetic data generation before departing in 2024
Karpathy's educational contributions are equally impressive. He designed and taught CS 231n at Stanford — the first deep learning class at the university — which grew from 150 students in 2015 to 750 by 2017. His Zero to Hero series and open-source projects like nanoGPT and nanochat have become global educational resources.
In 2024, he launched Eureka Labs, an AI education company, and was named one of TIME Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in AI. His unique perspective bridging research and practical AI application gave weight to his observations about vibe coding.
Why Vibe Coding Resonated
The term vibe coding spread so rapidly because it perfectly captured something developers were already experiencing but struggled to articulate. Karpathy gave a name to a feeling.
The concept resonated because it acknowledged several truths:
AI code generation became good enough that trusting it made practical sense
The post validated what people were already doing but felt guilty about
Non-programmers could now create software by simply describing what they wanted
In 2023, he said “the hottest new programming language is English”
How Vibe Coding Has Evolved
Since Karpathy coined the term, vibe coding has evolved from a casual practice into a recognized methodology with its own ecosystem, tools, and best practices.
Enterprise Adoption
According to industry research, 87% of Fortune 500 companies have adopted at least one vibe coding platform, with 90% of Fortune 100 using GitHub Copilot.
Startup Ecosystem
In Y Combinator's Winter 2025 cohort, 25% of startups had codebases that were approximately 95% AI-generated. The barrier to creating functional software has never been lower.
Non-Developer Adoption
Remarkably, 63% of vibe coding users are non-developers, generating UIs (44%), full-stack apps (20%), and personal software (11%). The democratization Karpathy hinted at has materialized.
Test Your Vibe Coding Knowledge
5 questions about the origin and impact of vibe coding
Who coined the term vibe coding?
The Impact on Software Development
The concept Karpathy coined has had measurable effects on the software industry. The numbers tell a compelling story of rapid transformation.
Gartner forecasts that 60% of new software code will be AI-generated by 2026. Companies report saving between $10,750 and $47,840 annually per developer depending on actual time savings.
Cautions and Considerations
While vibe coding has transformed development, experts note that 45% of AI-generated code contains security vulnerabilities. Production systems still require human review, testing, and security analysis — which is why platforms that generate production-ready, security-conscious code are becoming essential.
Experience Vibe Coding Today
The concept Karpathy coined has evolved into practical tools that anyone can use. If you want to experience the essence of vibe coding — describing what you want and watching it come to life — building mobile apps is one of the most accessible entry points.
Build Native Mobile Apps with Vibe Coding
Natively embodies the vibe coding philosophy: describe your app idea in plain English and watch AI generate a production-ready native iOS and Android app. No coding required. Full source code ownership. Complete Supabase backend included.
Describe
Tell AI what app you want — just like Karpathy described
Generate
AI creates your React Native app with full backend
Deploy
One-click publish to App Store and Google Play
Unlike casual vibe coding experiments, platforms built for production use include proper security, authentication, database design, and deployment infrastructure — addressing the limitations Karpathy noted while preserving the magic of natural language development.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who coined the term vibe coding?
Andrej Karpathy, co-founder of OpenAI and former Tesla AI director, coined the term vibe coding on February 2, 2025, in a post on X (formerly Twitter). He described it as a new kind of coding where you fully give in to the vibes and forget that the code even exists.
What is vibe coding according to Andrej Karpathy?
According to Karpathy, vibe coding is when you fully give in to the vibes, embrace exponentials, and forget that the code even exists. He described talking to AI assistants through voice, accepting all code changes without reading diffs, and simply copy-pasting error messages until they get fixed.
When did vibe coding become popular?
Vibe coding went viral immediately after Karpathy posted about it on February 2, 2025. The post received over 4.5 million views. By March 2025, major publications like The New York Times, Ars Technica, and The Guardian were covering it. In November 2025, Collins Dictionary named it the Word of the Year.
What tools did Karpathy use for vibe coding?
In his original post, Karpathy mentioned using Cursor Composer with Claude Sonnet for code generation, and SuperWhisper for voice input so he barely even touches the keyboard. He would ask for simple things like decrease the padding on the sidebar by half.
Is vibe coding suitable for production code?
Karpathy originally described vibe coding as not too bad for throwaway weekend projects. While adoption has grown significantly (44% of developers use AI coding tools), experts caution that production code requires understanding, testing, and security review. Modern platforms like Natively help bridge this gap by generating production-ready native mobile apps from natural language while maintaining code quality standards.