Vibe Coder Role

A new role for non-technical people who build prototypes and tools using AI coding assistants

Elena Verna
10 growth tactics that never work | Elena Verna (Amplitude, Miro, Dropbox, SurveyMonkey)

Vibe Coder Role

"This is a new job role that is actually popping up here and there... He actually was chief of staff in his previous role so he's not technical at all. He's self-taught in technical aspects of it, but he was very early on in the vibe coding wave so he learned a lot about it... I have so many projects that I will vibe code myself but then I don't have enough time sometimes." - Elena Verna

What It Is

A Vibe Coder is a new role emerging in AI-native companies: a non-technical person who builds prototypes, internal tools, templates, and MVPs using AI coding assistants like Lovable, Cursor, or Replit. They bridge the gap between ideas and working software without traditional engineering skills.

The role differs from both traditional developers and no-code specialists:

  • Unlike developers: No formal coding education or traditional engineering background
  • Unlike no-code users: Actually creating real, deployable software
  • Like a technical multiplier: Enabling teams to ship faster without engineering bottlenecks

How It Works

The Role's Evolution:

Elena describes hiring Lazar, who was previously a chief of staff:

  • Self-taught in vibe coding through early AI tool adoption
  • Became an expert by constantly pushing tools to their limits
  • Joined part-time, proved value, went full-time
  • Now creates templates, prototypes, and production-ready tools

What Vibe Coders Do:

  • Build prototypes for new features before engineering invests
  • Create templates and starting points for users (e.g., Shopify templates)
  • Develop internal tools for marketing, operations, growth
  • Produce MVPs that can launch and gather real feedback
  • Test ideas quickly without engineering queue dependencies

Skills Required:

  • Comfort with AI tools and prompting
  • Product sense (knowing what to build)
  • Design taste (creating lovable experiences)
  • Self-teaching ability (tools change constantly)
  • Communication (translating needs to AI and results to teams)

How to Apply It

  1. Identify the need - If you or your team has more ideas than engineering capacity, a vibe coder can bridge the gap.

  2. Look in unexpected places - Former chiefs of staff, product managers, marketers, or designers who've embraced AI coding tools.

  3. Start part-time - Test fit before committing. The role is new enough that both sides need to learn.

  4. Provide unlimited tool access - Vibe coders need unrestricted access to AI tools. Credit limits kill productivity.

  5. Define the scope - Vibe coders work best on prototypes, tools, and MVPs. Production engineering still needs engineers (for now).

  6. Let them teach - Skilled vibe coders can help the team understand what's possible with AI tools.

When to Use It

  • Growth and marketing teams - Building landing pages, tools, and experiments without engineering
  • Prototype-heavy cultures - Where ideas need quick validation before engineering investment
  • AI-native companies - Where vibe coding is core to how work gets done
  • Resource-constrained teams - Where engineering bottlenecks slow down execution
  • Internal tooling - Building tools for employees without competing for product engineering

The Broader Shift

The vibe coder role signals a larger change:

  • Vibe coding is becoming a skill listed on job descriptions
  • Designers, PMs, and marketers are adding it to their toolkit
  • The boundary between "technical" and "non-technical" is blurring
  • Traditional engineering roles are evolving, not disappearing

Source

  • Guest: Elena Verna
  • Episode: "10 growth tactics that never work | Elena Verna (Amplitude, Miro, Dropbox, SurveyMonkey)"
  • Key Discussion: (00:45:38) - Elena explains the new vibe coder role and how it works at Lovable
  • YouTube: Watch on YouTube

Related Frameworks

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