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David Heinemeier Hansson

What David Heinemeier Hansson thinks about vibe coding

@dhh · 154 positions · 10 changes of mind

Creator of Ruby on Rails, CTO of 37signals, and creator of Omarchy.

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David Heinemeier Hansson did not write this page.

We collected these quotes from things they published elsewhere, and every quote links to where it was said. They have no account here and have not endorsed this site. Quotes are word for word; the short line under each one is our own restatement, not their wording. Their own site. Is this you? Claim it or ask us to remove it. Or tell us what is wrong here.

7 dated positions, 2025 to 2026, in their own words. Our reading of what David Heinemeier Hansson has said — not written or endorsed by them.

  1. Our readingLetting non-programmers vibe-code features into a large existing product destroys its architecture, even when every individual change looks defensible.

    Their wordsAnd we ended up with a lot of PRs that individually perhaps could have been justified for a hot moment, taken all together, destroyed the architecture of the system. And we actually had to clean up manually, mop it up by hand, by human hand, to get back to an architecture that felt cohesive and coherent.

    ↗DHH: Future of Programming, AI, Agentic Engineering, Vibe Coding & Linux | Lex Fridman Podcast #501youtube.com 4th of 41 in this recording

    Interesting

  3. Our readingVibe coding is not programming, and the line between them is whether you look at the implementation at all.

    Their wordsAnd vibe coding, if we define it here, is you tell an agent to build software for you. You do not look at the implementation. That, to me, is what separates vibe coding from programming or, let's say, agent-accelerated development.

    ↗DHH: Future of Programming, AI, Agentic Engineering, Vibe Coding & Linux | Lex Fridman Podcast #501youtube.com 12th of 41 in this recording

    Interesting

  5. Our readingThe agentic age needs a new operating system: if you can vibe-code any application, you should be able to vibe-code the operating system, and only Linux allows that.

    Their wordsIt is an infuriatingly locked-down computer. Now, to Apple's credit, it's a pretty good computer for being locked down, but I don't want a locked-down computer. I wanna own my computer. Better yet, I wanna mutate my computer, and this is where the agentic age needs a new operating system. When you can vibe code whatever app comes to your mind, you should be able to vibe code your operating system.

    ↗DHH: Future of Programming, AI, Agentic Engineering, Vibe Coding & Linux | Lex Fridman Podcast #501youtube.com 21st of 41 in this recording

    LinuxApple

    Interesting

  7. Our readingA sense of achievement in software survives writing almost none of the code yourself.

    Their wordsSo it's strange because it's also perhaps the major software release that I've worked on the least in terms of lines of code. I have the least number of personally hand-chiseled lines of code in Quattro than I've had in any major release I've ever done. And yet, I am insanely proud of what we've accomplished.

    ↗DHH: Future of Programming, AI, Agentic Engineering, Vibe Coding & Linux | Lex Fridman Podcast #501youtube.com 31st of 41 in this recording

    Interesting

  9. Our readingThe programming language is now English, and it is a more beautiful one than Ruby.

    Their wordsThe language now is English. It's a cliche, but it's also true. Like I've been programming in English for the last three months. I've been reading a lot of code, but I'm programming in English. I'm telling the computer what to do, and I'm using natural language, and it is shockingly even more delightful. If there is one programming language more beautiful than Ruby, it is the English language.

    ↗DHH: Future of Programming, AI, Agentic Engineering, Vibe Coding & Linux | Lex Fridman Podcast #501youtube.com 33rd of 41 in this recording

    Ruby

    Interesting
  10. 13 months earlier

  11. Our readingVibe coding teaches nothing but empty calories: to become a competent programmer you have to program, and if it can be vibe-coded, you are not a programmer.

    Their wordsYou're gonna learn in this superficial way that feels like learning, but is completely empty calories. And secondly, if you can just vibe code it, you're not a programmer.

    ↗DHH: Future of Programming, AI, Ruby on Rails, Productivity & Parenting | Lex Fridman Podcast #474youtube.com 13th of 36 in this recording

    Interesting

  13. Our readingBeing a good editor of code is the reward for having been a good doer first; a prompt engineer who cannot write cannot judge.

    Their wordsEditing, in my opinion, is the reward, the capacity to be a good editor is the reward you get from being a good doer. You have to be a doer first.

    ↗DHH: Future of Programming, AI, Ruby on Rails, Productivity & Parenting | Lex Fridman Podcast #474youtube.com 14th of 36 in this recording

    Interesting