“Vibe Coding”: A CTO’s Take on Speed vs. Substance

TL;DR: Move fast, but don’t break your product.

• AI copilots are powerful, but need senior copilots.
• Vibe coding feels cool - until production crashes.
• Tools help. Experience saves.

The Low-Code Boom: Everyone’s a Builder Now

Not long ago, building a software product meant hiring engineers or learning to code. Today, all you need is an idea and a browser. Platforms like Bubble and Webflow let you create full-blown web apps visually. Zapier can automate your business logic by connecting SaaS services like digital duct tape. And with AI copilots (think GitHub Copilot or just asking ChatGPT to write code), even writing actual code has become faster and more accessible. It’s no wonder we’re seeing an explosion of startups and entrepreneurs jumping on the no-code/low-code train. In fact, Gartner predicts that by 2025, 70% of new applications will use low-code or no-code tools, up from less than 25% in 2020.

That’s a tectonic shift - essentially, most new software might soon be built with these high-level tools instead of raw coding. Why? Because when you remove traditional coding bottlenecks, you can go from idea to MVP in a weekend. Speed is addictive, and this movement has a need for speed.

To put some numbers on this trend: analysts have found that leveraging no-code can cut development time by up to 90% in some cases. Yes, 10× faster. And it’s not just solo founders or “citizen developers” playing - even big enterprises report 84% adoption of no-code for faster innovation.

The result is a flood of new apps and prototypes. Thousands of businesses are being launched by non-engineers who might not know a SQL query from a Mongo collection - and yet, here they are with functioning products. The playing field has truly been leveled. As a tech lead, I can’t help but be both excited and slightly anxious seeing this. On one hand, innovation has never been more democratized. On the other, I’m having flashbacks to that famous Jeff Goldblum line from Jurassic Park:

“Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.”

AI Copilots: Superpower (Not Substitute) for the Skilled

The rise of AI coding assistants has only poured fuel on this fire. As a seasoned developer, I’ll admit it: using GitHub Copilot or ChatGPT feels like having a superpower. They can suggest entire functions or catch bugs in an instant.

New AI-powered editors like Cursor have taken this even further - allowing you to write code with natural language, refactor with a click, and even generate whole modules via an “agent” that acts like an eager junior dev. It’s truly game-changing.

Cursor isn’t just a productivity tool - it’s a paradigm shift for those who know how to use it.

But here’s the key: these AI copilots are assistants, not replacements. In other words, they’re incredibly powerful, but you need to know how to drive. An inexperienced coder can’t magically build a scalable app just by installing Cursor any more than I can win Formula 1 by buying a faster car.

AI gives you Jarvis - but you still have to be Iron Man.

I use these tools daily, and yes, they make me (and my team) significantly faster - but only because we have the experience to guide them.

AI can suggest code, but it won’t enforce good architecture or validate user logic. That still takes a human brain.

“Vibe Coding”: Moving Fast Without a Map

Let’s talk about something real: "vibe coding."

This is what happens when people throw together products on a weekend using AI and no-code tools... with zero planning, structure, or architectural sense. It’s the “Smoch Alai” school of development - that classic Israeli swagger of “don’t worry, יהיה בסדר” while praying nothing breaks.

It’s fun... until it catches fire.

I’ve seen apps built on sticky notes and good vibes. They demo great - until real users log in. Then it’s 3AM Slack pings, performance crashes, and “hey bro can you fix this?” Duct-tape MVPs collapse under real-world load.

Vibe coding is like smoking:

• Looks cool.
• Feels fast.
• Destroys your system health.

And just like smoking, the tech debt piles up quietly... until it doesn’t. Suddenly you need a full rewrite, and all that “saved time” turns into an expensive rebuild. Trust me, I’ve been the one called in to clean it up.

Move fast, yes - but bring a damn map.

War Stories: When AI Tools Wrote the Wrong Chapter

One client in the government sector decided to save time and money by giving all their developers free rein with Copilot. Morale was high. Velocity looked great. Everyone was celebrating the magic of AI-generated code.

Then things broke.

Turns out, Copilot quietly removed security layers and validations because “they weren’t working” during testing. Devs kept pressing next. The AI rewrote migrations, created duplicate DBs, and opened data channels. Two weeks into production, the entire system had to be taken offline. We were called in to investigate and had to revert to pre-Copilot code. It took a squad of senior engineers to fix what the “assistant” broke.

Another client built an app using Bolt.new. It looked amazing. Supabase free tier, GitHub repo - check. After 3 days of vibe coding, he had login, register, decent UI, and some flow.

Then Supabase paused his DB. Bolt couldn’t reload code. The AI started overwriting working components. His Git history? Fragmented and incomplete. And he had investor meetings coming.

We brought in a fullstack engineer to reverse engineer the logic using Git commits, screenshots, and client interviews. We rebuilt from the middle, with Cursor, PRDs, and proper flows. This time? We added backend monitoring, offline support, and a proper structure.

Another client managing multiple similar apps wanted to roll out multilingual features across two platforms. It sounded simple - but it involved web views, logic, saving flows, validations, and lots of moving parts.

We scoped the work, broke it into clear short iterations, and used Cursor's agent mode with caution. Backups. Branches. Rules. We finished the first app’s changes in under four hours. The second? Four prompts - done before the coffee got cold.

Without a plan, that work would’ve taken 5–10x longer and risked breaking legacy code.

Moral of the story? The tools are powerful. But we know where they fail - and how to recover.

Moral of the story? The tools are powerful. But we know where they fail - and how to recover.

FAQ: Vibe Coding Edition

Is low-code legit or just MVP hype? It’s legit. But MVP doesn’t mean MVD (minimum viable disaster). Use it smart, not lazy.

What’s the deal with Cursor - can anyone use it? You can install it. But it’s built for developers who already know how to write and debug code. Like giving a sniper rifle to a toddler otherwise.

Can AI write my whole product? Yes - and it’ll look great. Until it breaks and no one can explain why. AI writes code. Humans still write software.

How fast can you build with the right team? We’ve built full MVPs in days, but only because we blend speed with senior supervision. That’s how you avoid the tech-debt hangover.

Can I get help if I already vibe-coded my app? Yes. We do rehab, too. Bring your Zapier spaghetti and ghosted GitHub repos - we’ve seen it all.

Why ChatGPT Isn’t Your CTO

A twist in all this? Non-technical founders increasingly say: “Why do I need a developer or an agency? I can just ask ChatGPT to build it!” Love the enthusiasm. But let’s be clear: this mindset is exciting - and dangerously naïve.

Yes, ChatGPT (or Copilot or any AI) can generate code, structure apps, suggest logic. It’s an excellent assistant. But it has no context, no accountability, no ownership. It won’t be there when things break.

We’ve seen AI trip up again and again on complex work. It can speed up development — but it can’t lead it.

ChatGPT won’t replace your dev team - but a dev team armed with ChatGPT will replace one that isn’t.

The winning formula? Pair AI with humans who know when to override, when to ignore, and when to rebuild. Otherwise, you’re heading for a vibe-coded disaster.

KAL Solutions: Fast, But With Brakes and a Helmet

At KAL Solutions, we’ve made it our mission to build fast and build right. The trick is blending all these amazing new tools with seasoned expertise and sound engineering practices.

Low-code and AI give you a Ferrari. But we don’t hand it to a first-time driver. We put a pro behind the wheel. That’s how you get speed with control.

We rapidly develop prototypes and MVPs for our clients using tools like Cursor,, Lovable, Base44, and Bolt.new. We integrate with GPT-40 & Claude, Zapier, Supabase, Firebase, and more – but always with senior engineers in the loop.

Every prototype has eyes on it. Every line of code – AI-generated or not – is reviewed. Every product is built with scaling in mind.

That’s how we combine velocity with vision.

Have a product idea but don’t want to vibe-code your way into a rewrite? Let’s build it fast — and right. Reach us at info@kal.solution

About Me

I'm Tamir Konortov - CTO, entrepreneur, and founder of KAL Solutions. After 20+ years building scalable tech across startups and enterprises, I’ve seen trends come and go. What doesn’t change? The need for clear thinking, smart code, and honest execution. At KAL, we deliver that - with a speed boost from the smartest tools out there.

If you're stuck in AI chaos or racing toward a product crash, I’ll help you steer it straight.

Build fast - but build smart. Bring a map. Bring a pro.