In the product creation world, we seem to be splitting into two camps at the moment; let's call them fanboys and haters.
Fanboys are very enthusiastic about AI in general and vibe coding specifically. They are finally able to test all their crazy ideas, be solo creators or be much more productive PMs at work.
Haters are pointing to the low quality of most vibe-coded products today, their out-of-the-box likeness and potentially compromised scalability, security and privacy. Both groups are right and wrong at the same time.
Quality drops temporarily as technology democratises
All breakthroughs in mass market technology initially led to lower-quality outcomes. I bet the first programs written in higher-level coding languages were poorly optimised. First websites after wide adoption of HTML and CSS were terrible. And should I remind you how people abused and misused JavaScript when it was first released? This process, of quantity turning into quality, is natural, and it's probably repeating again now with vibe coding.Yes, it might not be a nice sight to see: tons of clones, prototypes, mvp, people not knowing what they are doing... But I would argue it is a good thing in the long term.
Even now, or very soon, there will be gems hidden within this big, stinking pile of vibe-coded software. Some will rise to the surface; others will remain buried. Together, they will lay the groundwork for a gradual increase in quality through competition.
The ultimate winner is the consumer. Yes, more choice creates more cognitive load. But if you can’t be bothered to choose, just wait until unnatural selection does its job. There are early adopters who love trying new things and separating the bad from the promising.
Selection burnout
We’re quickly moving into a world where every problem can be solved by a near-endless selection of tools and products. But how are we supposed to know which solution is best?
Do we choose randomly? Based on social proof such as ratings, reviews and recommendations? Purely on economics, accelerating the death of paid apps? And how do we stay sane while making that selection, especially when every creator is trying to sway us in their direction?That, in my opinion, will become the key problem of the next few years of Wild West Vibe Coding -WWVC.
Our existing mechanisms of selection will fail us. Ratings will be gamed, reviews will be bought, and recommendations will be incentivised. With those quality signals rendered irrelevant, what will we be left with?
My prediction: trust in the creator will become one of the key selection criteria.
I trust, therefore I buy
How does trust of the creator differ from reviews and ratings? Fundamentally. You trust the creator who was helpful to you previously vs other people's opinions about their product.How could the creator be useful to you? In multiple ways, maybe you enjoyed their content before or found it helpful; maybe you like their values or who they are as human beings; maybe you simply match their energy and taste... Whatever it is that drove you towards a creator will likely affect your decision to use their solution. And sometimes, you might support them even if you don't have a problem to solve - just look at Patreon and communities there organised around creators.
I think this is a good development because I want to see more character, more personality put into software products. I want craft and craftspeople to be at the heart of the products I use. I don't want yet another generic product from yet another faceless mega corporation where every decision was taken by a committee. I want highly opinionated, bold, divisive products where personal tastes, skills and the integrity of creators are on full show. Before I try a product, I want to hear from its creator. I want to hear: "Hey, I created this, I believe in this, join me if..."
That last part is crucial as well.
The time of niches
Product managers are not trained to create niche products. From the early days, scale ingraved into our minds. Bigger, faster, stronger, more, more, more. This was the mantra of the last two decades. But things are changing now. Increasingly, people want niche. They want something created as if just for them, just as they like. They don't want to adjust to software; they want software to adjust to them. And if it can't - they'll find something else. Previously, this "something else" might not have existed, but with vibe coding we now can recreate almost any product with specific tweaks and changes to satisfy a niche (or even a single user).How to create a niche product? You need to be very deliberate in choosing the customers, jobs you'll do for your customers and everything else that you won't do. And you need to be upfront about it. This needs to be tied into your values and your vision. And it won't be easy, as being a niche product always means saying no to additional customers, additional money, but also additional problems and headaches.
An example of a niche creator? 37signals. You might know their software: Basecamp, HEY, Fizzy. They are a small team, highly skilled, highly opinionated, and they built the community before and while building their products. First they got trust, then they got customers. Very loyal customers. Now, every new thing they build is being tried by thousands of customers who trust the creator. That's a competitive advantage that's hard to beat.
Even better? You don't need to beat 37signals at their game. Instead, create your own game. Harness your own audience that shares your values and your taste, and serve them before creating a product for them.