3 days ago
Google CEO Sundar Pichai is now vibe coding and he is impressed
Google CEO Sundar Pichai has offered a rare peek into his off-duty tech habits, and it turns out, he's spending his free time 'vibe coding' using the AI-powered development platform Replit. In a recent interview with The Verge's Nilay Patel, Pichai spoke at length about how artificial intelligence is transforming the internet, user experiences, and the world of web development. But what caught the attention of developers and tech enthusiasts was a personal revelation: 'I was vibe coding with Replit a few weeks ago,' he said. 'I mean the power of what you're going to be able to create on the web – we haven't given that power to developers in 25 years.'advertisementThe moment went viral after Replit CEO Amjad Masad shared a snippet from the interview on LinkedIn, writing, 'Google's CEO vibe codes with Replit in his spare time. What's your excuse?'
Pichai's endorsement of AI-assisted programming comes at a time when major players in the tech industry are betting big on AI coding tools. According to recent reports, companies like Google and Microsoft already rely on AI to write about 30 per cent of their code. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has predicted that almost all coding could be done by AI within the next 12 to 18 months.
In the interview, Pichai compared the rise of AI to earlier platform shifts, such as the advent of the internet or mobile devices. 'Just imagine, you know, when the internet came, blogging became a thing With mobile came cameras and you could shoot and create videos. You know, look at what's happened with YouTube,' he called AI a 'bigger' shift than the internet and showed optimism about the future: 'I think it's an exciting time to be a consumer, it's an exciting time to be a developer. I'm looking forward to it.'So, what is 'vibe coding'?Vibe coding is a new style of programming where developers use AI assistants – like Replit, Cursor, or OpenAI's Code Interpreter – to help them write code more intuitively. Instead of focusing on syntax and technical structure, developers can describe what they want in natural language, and the AI helps bring it to life. It's like brainstorming with a very smart coding approach is ideal for beginners who want to explore coding without being overwhelmed, and it's also a productivity booster for seasoned developers. The AI handles repetitive tasks, suggests improvements, and helps with debugging – making coding feel more creative and hype around vibe coding is reflected in investor interest too. In May, The Financial Times reported that Cursor, built by startup Anysphere, had raised $900 million in new funding, reaching a $9 billion valuation. That's a massive leap from the $100 million raised just months earlier. The sharp increase shows how confident investors are in the future of AI coding. Meanwhile, OpenAI is also moving fast in this space. The company recently confirmed its plan to acquire Windsurf, another AI coding platform, for $3 billion.
