We've been getting a lot of questions lately about vibe coding.
CTOs want to know if these AI tools can solve their talent shortage problems.
CMOs are curious whether their teams can finally build that customer portal without waiting on the development queue.
CEOs are asking if this technology can fundamentally change how their companies approach digital transformation.
We get it – the promise of vibe coding is compelling: just describe what you want in plain English, and AI generates working software in minutes.
But after working with enterprise clients, we've seen a significant gap between what vibe coding promises and what it actually delivers for mission-critical systems.
Vibe coding represents a pretty significant shift in software development.
Vibe coding uses large language models (LLMs) to transform natural language descriptions into working software. Instead of writing code line by line, developers – or even non-technical users – describe what they want, and AI tools generate functional applications in minutes.
The best vibe coding tools like Loveable AI, Bolt, Cursor, and Replit promise to democratize software development:
And the promise is that all of this occurs without touching traditional code.
For CTOs facing talent shortages and pressures to approach “digital transformation”, the appeal is there: radical speed, lower barriers to entry, and the promise of doing more with less.
There are more and more of these platforms popping up across the market.
Tools like Lovable AI – along with newcomers such as Cursor, Windsurf, GitHub Copilot, Codex, and even Microsoft’s emerging AutoGen framework – all promise to generate full-stack applications from plain-English prompts.
Many of them are fast and can spin up attractive front-end screens, basic backend logic, authentication shells, and initial database structures.
The vibe coding workflow is deceptively simple: describe your vision, let the AI generate code, review and iterate through conversational refinements. The developer becomes a director, managing outcomes rather than wrestling with syntax.
But does it really deliver?
But here's what those three-hour success stories don't mention – and what we've discovered working with clients who've tried the DIY approach first.
Research shows approximately 20% of vibe-coded applications launch with critical security flaws.
AI agents routinely hardcode API keys and database credentials directly into source code, create authentication systems without proper layering, and skip input validation entirely – leaving applications vulnerable to SQL injection, cross-site scripting, and unauthorized access.
The AI optimizes for speed, not security best practices. It might use unsafe functions like eval() with user data or skip logging security events entirely, making breach detection nearly impossible.
For enterprises dealing with GDPR compliance, HIPAA requirements, or SOC 2 certification, these can be existential threats.
At a recent conference, we heard from a CIO whose organization discovered over 150 shadow IT applications built with vibe coding tools – none secure, impossible to convert, but already embedded with users. This isn't just inefficiency. It's organizational risk at scale.
AI-generated code arrives poorly organized, minimally documented, and structured for demos rather than long-term sustainability.
Technical debt accumulates at breakneck speed because every decision is made in-the-moment by an AI optimizing for "does it work right now?" rather than "can we scale this for three years?"
When your original "vibe coder" moves to another role, the remaining team inherits a black box of tangled logic, cryptic variable names, and unclear boundaries.
What looked like saved development time becomes multiplied technical debt. This is the same challenge organizations face with ungoverned citizen development initiatives – rapid creation without architectural oversight creates long-term chaos.
Vibe coding tools excel at creating applications that work for 10 users during a demo. But production environments demand more.
The architecture generated for quick prototypes can't handle real-world loads. Platform constraints become straitjackets when you need to grow.
Moving from 100 users to 10,000 users is a fundamental re-architecture that often costs more than building correctly from the start.
Yes, the initial development is faster. But factor in the hosting costs for inefficient code, the database expenses for poorly optimized queries, the security consultation fees after the first audit, and the eventual complete rebuild when the prototype can't become a product.
The "savings" evaporate quickly.
Mission-critical enterprise systems require what vibe coding tools fundamentally cannot provide: strategic architecture, security-first design, compliance integration, and institutional knowledge transfer.
Enterprise software doesn't exist in isolation. It must integrate with legacy systems, respect complex data governance requirements, support single sign-on across the organization, and meet industry-specific compliance standards.
These aren't features you can prompt an AI to generate – they require deep understanding of your business context, technical environment, and regulatory realities.
Vibe coding solves only the development piece – and even then, only superficially. But successful software requires the complete software development lifecycle (SDLC):
Skipping these steps isn't just inefficient. It's irresponsible.
The answer isn't necessarily rejecting vibe coding. It's deploying it strategically within a comprehensive development approach that covers the entire SDLC.
We leverage platforms like Mendix that represent the evolution beyond simple vibe coding. Rather than black-box generation, Mendix enables AI-augmented development with human oversight at every critical stage:
Requirements to user stories: Upload your requirements document, and AI generates detailed user stories – but you review, edit, and refine them with stakeholders before anything gets built.
Governed development: AI accelerates the build, but within a secure, controlled environment where you maintain architectural oversight, enforce security standards, and ensure compliance from day one.
Strategic architecture: The system considers not just immediate functionality, but long-term scalability, integration requirements, and organizational governance – the 90% that vibe coding tools ignore.
This isn't a black box that spits out finished applications. It's a sophisticated platform that speeds up the smart way of developing software by augmenting human expertise rather than replacing it.
For organizations serious about AI-enabled development, this represents the difference between rapid prototyping and production-ready systems.
We use vibe coding tools like Loveable AI for exactly what they excel at: rapid prototyping and concept validation.
Want to test whether users will engage with a new feature? Build a vibe-coded prototype in hours, gather feedback, iterate quickly.
But when it's time to build the production system—the one your customers depend on, the one that represents your brand, the one that must pass security audits—we leverage enterprise-grade low-code platforms and traditional development practices:
We bring multi-modal expertise: deep knowledge across traditional coding, low-code platforms like Mendix, and AI tools. We know when to write custom code, when to leverage existing platforms, and when AI generation adds genuine value. Most importantly, we understand the difference between a prototype and a product.
Internal prototypes, proof-of-concept validation, non-critical tools with limited users, design testing, and exploring ideas before major resource commitments.
Customer-facing applications with sensitive data, systems needing compliance certification, platforms with more than 1,000 active users, core business system integrations, anything requiring 24/7 uptime, and products with multi-year lifecycles.
Ask yourself:
If the answers involve significant business risk, you need more than vibe coding.
The best vibe coding tools have genuine value – but they're tools, not complete solutions.
The challenge isn't the technology itself; it's the way it's being deployed. Vibe coding promises miracles while ignoring 90% of what makes software successful in enterprise environments.
Think of it as "vibe coding plus plus". We use these AI tools strategically, but we add the architecture, security, governance, and lifecycle management that transform prototypes into production systems.
The competitive advantage in enterprise software doesn't come from building fast; it comes from building right.
The real promise is using these tools strategically within a comprehensive SDLC approach that balances innovation speed with enterprise requirements.
Platforms like Mendix demonstrate this evolution: leveraging AI to accelerate development while maintaining the human oversight, security standards, and architectural discipline that enterprise systems demand.
Want to explore how strategic development can accelerate your roadmap without compromising on security or scalability? Let's discuss your project and create an approach that leverages the best of AI tools while building systems that drive lasting business value.