Rick Rubin called vibe coding “the punk rock of software.” His vision of democratized creativity through AI-assisted coding remains as radical—and misunderstood—as ever. Here’s why it matters.
Six months have passed since Rick Rubin—legendary producer of Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Slayer, and yes, Adele and Shakira too—dropped his now-famous declaration: “Vibe Coding is the Punk Rock of Software.” As co-founder of Def Jam turned on a project called The Way of Code, Rubin wasn’t just making a provocative comparison. He was pointing at something fundamental about our moment in technological history.
His thesis is beautifully simple: vibe coding is to software what punk rock was to music in ‘77. You don’t need prestigious conservatories or expensive studios anymore. Three chords, some ideas, and off you go. Anyone with a vision can transform it into an app or website without depending on the whims of programmers buried under their workplace priorities.
The Spirit Beyond the Simplification
Of course, it’s not quite that simple. But that’s precisely the point Rubin is making—it’s about the underlying spirit. When barriers to entry fall, creativity should flourish.
Yet here’s where Rubin gets interesting: he observes that despite these lowered barriers, most people are creating animations with familiar cartoon characters, imitating, copying, but not truly exploring. As Stewart Brand once noted, “Once a new technology rolls over you, if you’re not part of the steamroller, you’re part of the pavement.” The question is: are we becoming the steamroller or the pavement?
Punk rock wasn’t just about playing with three chords. First and foremost, it was about breaking schemas. Similarly, the main aspect of vibe coding isn’t writing code without fully understanding what you’re doing—it’s writing outside the rules, in ways no experienced programmer would dare attempt. The beginner’s recklessness becomes an enormous creative thrust.
Brian Eno captured this beautifully when he said, “The enemy of creative work is boredom, and the friend is alertness. Alertness means that your antenna is always up, so when a good accident happens, you notice it.” Vibe coding, at its best, is about staying alert to those good accidents.
The Reddit Reality Check
This approach thrills me. But then I go on Reddit, and the opinions on the topic aren’t exactly favorable. And I wonder: is it possible that people are so limited in their criticism, fixating on how punk rock was born from completely different premises, or because in reality things aren’t as simple and immediate as Rubin describes?
Of course it’s not that simple. And also it’s not the point that everybody can become a programmer, this is not the point. How can you not get excited about the idea of having infinite creative options that were inaccessible just months ago? How can you not see the incredible potential of this tool?
As Kevin Kelly writes in “What Technology Wants,” “The proper response to a technology is not to stop it but to find the right questions to ask of it.” The right question isn’t whether vibe coding perfectly mirrors punk rock’s origins—it’s what creative possibilities it unlocks.
Where’s Our Sniffin’ Glue?
Sure, we don’t have Sniffin’ Glue telling us “here are two chords, now go start your band.” Instead, we’re told “here’s how to code, now go found your billion-dollar startup.” It’s not the same thing, granted.
The zines, the independent labels, the house shows—these weren’t about getting rich. They were about having something to say and refusing to wait for permission to say it.
But change “billion-dollar startup” to something more creative, emotional, stimulating—and I still love it. Even if it’s not 1977 anymore.