> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://valdivya.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Vibe Coding Changed How We Build. Not Whether We Should. - URL: https://valdivya.com/vibe-coding-changed-how-we-build-not-whether-we-should/ - Published: 2026-07-30T12:00:06.000Z - Updated: 2026-07-30T12:00:08.000Z - Description: AI made building software easier. It didn't change whether building is worth it. Here's how I think about that decision, and where most teams are leaving value on the table. · Read the post → - Author: Jesse Hormachea - Tags: all --- ## Key Takeaways - Vibe coding made building your own apps easier, but it didn't change whether building them is the right call. - Personal, single-user tools (like a checklist app) rarely justify the ongoing maintenance, once you start building software, you're running a software shop for an audience of one. - The real advantage for small teams is using AI coding tools to solve a problem nobody else has built for them, not recreating tools that already exist. - Most businesses get more value from configuring and fully using the software they already pay for than from building something new. --- Even with how easy it is to create my own apps, I still find myself going back to my trusted bench of tools. I read lots of newsletters and tech sites that seem really split on how effective creating your own apps is long term. Ever since [Casey Newton of Platformer interviewed David Pierce](https://www.platformer.news/david-pierce-interview-productivity-podcast/?ref=valdivya.com), I haven't been able to stop thinking about the scope of checklist and productivity tools out there and the search for the perfect one. ## My Todoist Problem A checklist app is a really basic way to start and I think something most people end up building to play around. It gets deceptively complex once you get past adding and checking off from a list. Similar to the interview, I've bounced between Evernote, Microsoft's products, Google's products, building things in Jira and Trello, others I've forgotten, and all just to land on Todoist and paying for their annual subscription. **It's simple. It works everywhere. I don't have to think about it.** It's certainly fun and incredibly amazing to prompt your way through an app and see it come to life. There really is no denying what the models can do, especially when a not so great prompt just works. What I struggle with after that is the same walls I hit as a software developer. The next feature doesn't come as easily. The layout is messed up in one tiny part in a certain view. That last 20% of building anything. Things other people may be able to let go for a personal project but I'll pour hours into getting right. Even if it's just for me. That's the point I hit where spending the few bucks or dealing with the realities of a free product just make more sense to me. As I've consulted countless clients, **once you start building software, you are now a software shop.** I don't think that's changed with the AI coding tools. Along the same lines, I think about how I could learn to change the oil in my car, I just don't want to. So I take it on a schedule and pay someone else to do it. It's a solved problem with a clear answer and minimal upside for me to learn to do this on my own. I evaluate and use tools across many different client environments, but the decision to build for my business is always just for me. The broader software world paints a different picture. ## Most People Don't Care About Software What I'm seeing in my work lately is those in the technology industry are very into this wave of software. It's the world they live and breathe. Once you pop your head out of the tech world, most people don't care about software. They are a little intimidated and nothing feels that different for how these people approach it from tech advancements previously. It's just another thing for them to learn. This all may sound like I'm a skeptic or that I think it will go away. What I'm seeing is those that already love technology, have been given a super power. Those that are curious have had the barrier to entry lowered. **And those that never cared before, continue to not care.** ### Where the Real Benefit Shows Up Those in the last group will see the most benefits when it's in the background for them. Things just work a little better in the work they already do. Information is more complete in their CRM. They can get more information on work happening in Jira without bugging their developers. Meeting summaries and action items out of Zoom and Teams. Even with the current disruption, what I see unfolding is a world with more software. Custom software is now in reach for small and mid-size businesses to build something that helps their day to day without spending half a million dollars. Small teams using the coding tools to solve a problem nobody's built for them have a real advantage right now. There are people in these small businesses building these little apps for their workflows and these can turn into real productivity tools for a team with some help. ## Vibe Coding Didn't Change the Math Vibe coding didn't change the decision on building my own Todoist. It's still a solved problem with a clear answer, and there's still minimal upside in learning to do it myself. What changed is how easy it became to convince yourself you can save a few bucks on a checklist app. Building something for an audience of one still runs into the same last 20% hurdles and suddenly you're maintaining software as your own dev shop. **The build vs. buy decision was never really about how easy building became.** It's about understanding the technical and operational needs of the business well enough to know which problem you're actually solving, and that takes strategy and expertise, not just a good prompt and the tools to push out the idea. Most teams aren't even leveraging the full capabilities of the software they already pay for. ### How I Can Help This is where I'm helping teams get more out of what they already have, rightsize license costs, and make sure everything is configured in a scalable and secure way. For the teams that do have a problem nobody's built for them, that's a different conversation. Custom applications, agentic workflows, and the change management to get a team to actually adopt them are the real work. [Build Your Software Strategy](https://valdivya.com/contact/)