Professional Software Developers Don't Vibe, They Control

Reading this paper, I could relate to observations from experienced developers about use of AI - “Professional Software Developers Don’t Vibe, They Control”.

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They studied 99 experienced developers and found that experienced engineers don’t vibe code. In fact, they use AI to speed things up, but still stay in control of design and implementation.

My Workflow with AI

This is also exactly how I’ve been working. I too started with Cursor, then moved onto Claude Code. Claude Code helps me structure requirements before jumping into code. From there, I validate, steer, and selectively use Claude Code to further divide the work between AI agents.

I manage it like I’d manage my team by giving clear direction, reviewing the output, and course correcting as and when needed.

The Evolution of AI Tools

Since this study was done, models have improved. Opus 4.5 has made building side projects noticeably faster and with better quality.

The Irony of Full Trust

Funny stat from the paper says that experienced open source maintainers were actually 19% slower when they tried to fully trust the AI.

This reinforces the key insight: AI is a tool that amplifies your expertise, not a replacement for it. The developers who get the most value are those who stay in the driver’s seat.

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